X
THE COMPLETE WORKS
OF
GEOFFREY CHAUCER
SKEAT
* * *
* *
NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES
Oxford University Press
London Edinburgh Glasgo'u, Copenhagen
Ncu,rork Toronto Melbourne Cape Town
Bombay Calcutta Madras Shanghai
Humphrey Milford, Publisher to the University
THE COMPLETE WORKS
OF
GEOFFREY CHAUCER
EDITED, FROM NUMEROUS MANUSCRIPTS
BY THE
Rev. WALTER W. SKEAT, M.A.
LiTT.D., LL.D., D.C.L., Ph.D.
EI.RINCTON AND BOSWORTH PROFESSOR OF ANGLO-SAXON
ANU FELLOW OF CHRISTS COLLEGE, CAMBRICKiE
* 4i «
«
NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES
'hit oghte thee to lykc;
For hard langage and hard matere
li encombrous for to here
At ones; wost thou not wel this?'
Hoits of Famt ; 860
SECOND EDITION
AT THE CLARENDON PRESS
/ f S7
V. ^-
PRINTED IN ENGLAND
AT THE OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
First edition, 1894
Second edition, tgoo
Impression of 1924
CONTENTS.
PAliE
Introduction. — § i. Some points for discussion. § 2. Canon of
Chaucer's Works. ThjTine's edition of 1532. § 3. Later reprints.
§ 4. Tyrwhitt's edition ; and his endeavours to establish a canon.
§ 5. The same; continued. § 6. Chalmers' edition. § 7. The
anonymous edition of 1845; published by Moxon. § S. This
edition due to Tyrwhitt's suggestions. § 9. Later work ; results
arrived at by Prof. Lounsbury. § 10. Some of the Minor Poems
in the present edition. § 11. The Poem no. XXIV. § 12. Poems
numbered XXIII, XXV, and XXVI. § 13. The text of the
Canterbury Tales; lines 'clipped' at the beginning. § 14. The
Ilarlcian MS. § 15. The EUesmere MS. § 16. The old black-
letter editions. § 17. Stowe's edition in 156 1. § 18. Drydcn's
remarks on Chaucer's verse. § 19. Brief rules for scansion. § 20.
Accentuation. § 31. Examples. § 22. Old pronunciation. § 23.
Modernising of spelling. § 24. Sources of the Notes; ac-
knowledgments ix
Notes to Grolt A i
The General Prologue i
The Knigiites Tale 60
The Miller's Prologue 95
The Milleres Tale 96
The Reve's Prologue 112
The Reves Tale 116
The Cook's Prologue 128
The Cokes Tale 129
Notes to Group B '132
Introduction to the Man ok Lawes Tale . . . .132
Prologue to the Man ok Lawes Tale 141
The Tale ok the Man ok Lawe 145
VI
CONTENTS.
The Shipman's Prologue
The Shipmannes Tale
The Prioress's Prologue
The Prioresses Tale .
Prologue to Sir Thopas
The Tale of Sir Thopas
Prologue lo Melibeus
The Tale of Melibeus
The Monk's Prologue
The Monkes Tale
The Nonne Prestes Prologue
The Nonne Preestes Tale
Epilogue ....
Notes to Group C . . .
The Phisiciens Tale
Words of the Host .
The Pardoneres Prologue
The Pardoneres Tale
Notes to Group D . .
The Wife of Bath's Prologue
The Tale of the Wyf of Bathe
The Friar's Prologue
The Freres Tale
The Sompnour's Prologue
The Somnours Tale .
Notes to Group E . .
The Clerkes Prologue
The Clerkes Tale .
The Marchauntes Prologue
The Marchantes Tale
Notes to Group F . .
The Squieres Tale .
The Words of the Franklin
The Prologue of the Franklin's Tale
The Frankeleyns Tale ,
PAGE
165
168
173
174
IS2
183
201
201
224
227
247
248
258
260
260
264
269
275
291
291
313
322
323
330
331
342
342
34.5
353
353
370
370
387
387
388
CONTENTS.
VI 1
Notes to Group G . . . .
The Second Nonnes Tale
The Canon's Yeoman's Prologue
The Chanouns Yemannes Tale
Notes to Group II .
The Manciple's Prologue
The Maunciples Talk
Notes to Group I . . . .
The Parson's Prologue .
The Persones Tale .
Notes to the Tale of Gamelyn .
Addenda
PAGE
401
401
4'4
4-1
435
435
439
444
444
447
477
490
Index to the Subjects, etc., explained in the Notes
495
INTRODUCTION TO THE NOTES.
§ I. In the brief Introduction to vol. iv. I have given a list
of the MSS. of the Canterbury Tales ; some account of the early
printed editions ; and some explanation of the methods employed
in preparing the present edition. I propose here to discuss
further certain important points of general interest. And first,
I would say a few words as to the Canon of Chaucer's ^^'orks,
whereby the genuine works are separated from others that
have been attributed to him, at various times, by mistake or
inadvertence.
§ 2. Canon- ok Ch.vucer's Works.
This has already been considered, at considerable length, in
vol. i. pp. 20-90. But it is necessary to say a few words on the
whole subject, owing to the extremely erroneous opinions that
are so widely prevalent.
Sometimes a poem is claimed for Chaucer because it occurs
' in a Chaucer MS.' There is a certain force in this plea in
a few cases, as I have already pointed out. But it commonly
happens that such MSS. (as, for e.xample, MS. Fairfax 16, MS.
Bodley 638, and others) are mere collections of poetry of the
fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, from which nothing can safely
be inferred as to the authorship of the poems which they
contain, unless the scribe distinctly gives the author's name '. As
a rule, however, the scribes not only omit to mention names,
but they frequently omit the very title of the poem, and thus
* The scribe is usually right. I only remember observing one MS. in
which the scribe is reckless ; see vol. i. p. 47.
X THYNNE'S EDITION OF CHAUCER.
withhold such help as, in many cases, they might easily have
afforded.
The celebrated first edition of ' Chaticer's Works,' edited
by William Thynne in 1532, made no attempt to establish
any canon. Thynne simply put together such a book as he
believed would be generally acceptable ; and deliberately inserted
poems which he knew to be by other authors. Some of these
poems bear the name of Lydgate ; one has the name of Gower ;
and another, by Hoccleve, is dated 1402, or two years after
Chaucer's death. They were tossed together without much
attempt at order ; so that even the eleventh poem in the volume
is 'The Floure of Curtesie, made by Ihon lidgate.' The edition,
in fact, is a mere collection of poems by Chaucer, Lydgate,
Gower, Hoccleve, Robert Henrysoun, Sir Richard Ros, and
various anonymous authors ; and the number of poems by other
authors almost equals the number of Chaucer's. The mere
accident of the inclusion of a given piece in this volume
practically tells us nothing, unless it happens to be distinctly
marked ; though we can, of course, often tell the authorship from
some remark made by Chaucer himself, or by others. And the
net result is this ; that Thynne neither attempted to draw up a list
of Chaucer's genuine works, nor to exclude such works as were
not his. He merely printed such things as came to hand, without
any attempt at selection or observance of order, or regard to
authorship. All that we can say is, that he did not knowingly
exclude any of the genuine pieces. Nevertheless, he omitted
Chaucer's A.B.C, of which there must have been many copies in
existence, for we have twelve still extant.
§ 3. The mere repetition of this collection, in various reprints,
did not confer on it any fresh authority. Stowe indeed, in 1561,
added more pieces to the collection, but he suppressed nothing.
Neither did he himself exercise much principle of selection ; see
vol. i. p. 56. He even added The Storie of Thebes, which he
must have known to be Lydgate's. Later reprints were all
edited after the same bewildering fashion.
§ 4. The first person to exercise any discrimination in this
matter was Thomas Tyrwhitt, who published a new edition of
the Canterbury Tales in five volumes, 8vo., in 1775-8; being
the first edition in which some critical care was exercised. After
Tyrwhitt had printed the Canterbury Tales, accompanied by
THE CANON OF CHAUCER'S WORKS. xi
a most valuable commentary in the shape of Notes, it occurred to
him to make a Glossarj-. He had not proceeded far before he
decided that such a Glossary ought to be founded upon the
whole of Chaucer's Works, instead of referring to the Tales only ;
since this would alone suffice to shew clearly the nature of
Chaucer's vocabulary. He at once began to draw up something
in the nature of a canon. He rejected the works that were
marked with the names of other poets, and remorselessly swept
away a large number of Stowe's very casual additions. And,
considering that he was unable, at that date, to apply any
linguistic tests of any value— that he had no means of dis-
tinguishing Chaucer's rimes from those of other poets — that
he had, in fact, nothing to guide him but his literary instinct
and a few notes found in the MSS.— his attempt was a fairly
good one. He decisively rejected the following poems found in
Thynne's edition, vi/. no. 4 (Testament of Criseyde, by Henry-
soun); II (The Floure of Curtesie, by Lydgate) ; 13 (La Belle
Dame, by Sir R. Ros) ; 15 (The Assemblee of I>adies); 18
(A Praise of Women) ; 2 1 (The Lamentacion of Marie Magda-
leine) ; 22 (The Remedie of Love); 25 (The Letter of Cupide,
by Hoccleve) ; 26 (A Ballade in commendacion of our Ladie, by
Lydgate); 27 (Jhon Cower to Henry IN); 28 and 29 (Sayings
of Dan John, by Lydgate) ; 30 (Balade de Bon Conseil, by
Lydgate) ; 32 (Balade with Envoy — O leude booke) ; 23 (Scogan's
poem, except the stanzas on Gentilesse) ; 40 (A balade . . ., by Dan
John lidgat) ; and in no single instance was he wrong in his
rejection. He also implied that the following had no claim
to be Chaucer's, as he did not insert them in his final list ; viz.
no. 6 (A goodlie balade of Chaucer) ; and 38 (Two stanzas — Go
foorthe, kyng) ; and here he was again quite right. It is also
obvious that no. 41 (A balade in the Prai.se of Master Geffray
Chauser) was written by another hand ; and indeed, the first line
says that Chaucer 'now lith in grave.' It will at once be seen that
Tyrwhitt did excellent service; for, in fact, he eliminated from
Thynne's edition no less than nineteen pieces out of forty-one ;
leaving only twenty-two ' remaining. Of this remainder, if we
include The Romaunt of the Rose, all but three are unhesitatingly
accepted by scholars. The three exceptions are nos. 17, 20, and
' To which add, as a twent^'-third, the three stanzas on Gentilesse quoted
in Scogan's poem (no. 33).
xu
THE EDITION BY CHALMERS.
31 ; i.e. The Complaint of the Black Knight^; The Testament
of Love 2 ; and The Cuckoo and the Nightingale.
§ 5. When Tynvhitt came to examine the later editions, the
only other pieces that seemed to him sufficiently good for the
purpose of being quoted in his Glossary were the six following,
viz. Chaucer's A. B.C. (in ed. 1602); The Court of Love (in ed.
1561); Chaucer's Dreme (in ed. 1598); The Flower and the
Leaf (in ed. 1598); Proverbes by Chaucer (in ed. 1561) ; and
Chaucer's Words to his Scrivener Adam (in ed. 1561). Of
these, we may accept the first and the two last; but there is
no external evidence in favour of the other three. He also added
that the Virelai (no. 50, in ed. 1561) may 'perhaps' be Chaucer's.
§ 6. In 181 o we find an edition of Chaucer's Works, by
A. Chalmers, F.S.A., in the first volume of the * English Poets,'
collected in twenty-one volumes. In this edition, some sort of
attempt was made, for the first time, to separate the spurious
from the genuine poems. But this separation was made with
such reckless carelessness that we actually find no less than
six poems (nos. 36, 38, 39, 42, 43, 44, in vol. i. 32, 33, above)
printed twice over, once as being genuine, and once as being
spurious^. It is obvious that we cannot accept a canon of
Chaucer's Works of such a character as this.
§ 7. In 1845 appeared the edition in which modern critics, till
quite recently, put all their trust ; and no student will ever under-
stand what is really meant by 'the canon of Chaucer's Works'
until he examines this edition with something like common care.
It bears this remarkable title : — ' The Poetical Works of Geoffrey
Chaucer. With an Essay on his Language and Versification, and an
^ Now known to be Lydgatc's; see vol. i. p. 35, note 3.
° I have lately made a curious discovery as to the Testament of Love.
The first paragraph begins with a large capital M ; the second with a large
capital A ; and so on. By putting together all the letters thus pointed out,
we at once have an acrostic, forming a complete sentence. The sentence
is— MARGARET OF VIRTW, HAVE MERCI ON TSKNVI. Of course
the last word is expressed as an anagram, which I decipher as KITSVN,
i. e. Kitsun, the author's name. The whole piece is clearly addressed to
a lady named Margaret, and contains frequent reference to the virtues of
pearls, which were supposed to possess healing powers. Even if ' Kitsun '
is not the right reading, we learn something ; for it is quite clear that
TSKNVI cannot possibly represent the name of Chaucer. See The
Academy, March ri, 1893 ; p. 222.
" No. 38 is not noticed in the Index, on its reappearance at p. 555.
EDITION PUBLISHED BY MOXON. xiii
Introductory Discourse ; together with Notes and a Glossary. By
Thomas Tyrwhitt. London : Edward Moxon, Dover Street, i S55'.'
In this title, which must be most carefully scanned, there is
one very slight unintentional misprint, which alters its whole
character. The stop after the word ' Glossary ' should have been
a comma only. The difference in sense is something startling.
The title-page was meant to convey that the vohime contains,
(i) The Poetical Works of Geoffrey Chaucer (comprising
Tyrwhitt's text of the Canterbury Tales, the remaining poems being
ano7iymoiisly reedited) ; and that it also contains, (2) an Essay,
a Discourse, Notes, and a Glossary, all by Thomas Tyrwhitt.
Such are the facts; and such would have been the (possible)
sense of the title-page, if the comma after ' Cilossary ' had not been
misprinted as a full stop. But as the title actually appears, even
serious students have fallen into the error of supposing that
Tyrwhitt edited these Poetical Works ; an error of the first
magnitude, which has produced disastrous results. A moment's
reflection will shew that, as Tynvhitt edited the Canterbury Tales
only, and died in 1786, he could not have edited the Poetical
Works in 1845, fifty-nine years after his death. It would have
been better if a short explanation, to this effect, had been inserted
in the volume; but there is nothing of the kind.
It must therefore be carefully borne in mind, that this edition
of 1845, on the title-page of which the name of Tyrwhitt is so
conspicuous, was really edited anonymously, or may even be
said not to have been edited at all. The Canterbury Tales are
reprinted from Tyrwhitt ; and so also are the Essay, the Discourse,
the Notes, and the Glossary ; and it is most important to observe
that 'the Glossary' is preceded by Tyrwhitt's 'Advertisement,'
and by his 'Account of the Works of Chaucer to which this
Glossary is adapted ; and of those other pieces "^ which have been
improperly intermixed with his in the Editions.' The volume is,
in fact, made up in this way. Pages i-lxx and 1-209 ^"^^ ^^^
due to Tyrwhitt; and contain a Preface, an Appendix to the
Preface, an Abstract of Passages of the Life of Chaucer, an Essay,
an Introductory Discourse to the Tales, and the Tales themselves.
' Originally (I understand) 1845. ^ have only a copy with a reprinted
title-page and an altered date.
" It should be— 'and of sow;^ 0/ those other pieces'; for the 'Account'
does not profess to be exhaustive.
XIV
TYRWHITT'S CANON OF THE WORKS.
Again, pp. 441-502 are all due to Tyrwhitt, and contain an
Advertisement to the Glossary, an Account of Chaucer's Works
(as above), and a Glossary. Moreover, this Glossary contains
a large number of words from most of Chaucer's Works, including
even his prose treatises ; besides a handful of words from spurious
works such as * Chaucer's Dream.'
In this way, all the former part and all the latter part of the
volume are due to Tyrwhitt ; it is the middle part that is wholly
independent of him. It is here that we find no less than twenty-
five poems, which he never edited, reprinted (inexactly) from the
old black-letter editions or from Chalmers. It thus becomes
plain that the words 'By Thomas Tyrwhitt' on the title-page
refer only to the second clause of it, but have no reference to the
former clause, consisting of the words, *The Poetical Works of
Geoffrey Chaucer.' It remains to be said that the twenty-five
poems which are here appended to the Canterbury Tales are well
selected ; and that the anonymous editor or superintendent was
guided in his choice by Tyrwhitt's ' Account of the Works.'
§ 8. This somewhat tedious account is absolutely necessary,
every word of it, in order to enable the reader to understand
what has always been meant (since 1845) by critics who talk
about some works as being ' attributed to Chaucer.' They really
mean (in the case, for example, of The Cuckoo and the Nightin-
gale) that it happens to be included in a certain volume by an
anonymous editor, published in 1845, in which the suggestions
made by Tyrwhitt in 1778 were practically adopted without any
important deviation. In the case of any other author, such
a basis for a canon would be considered rather a sandy one ; it
derives its whole value from the fact that Tyrwhitt was an
excellent literary critic, who may well be excused for a few
mistakes, considering how much service he did in thus reducing
the number of poems in ' Chaucer's Works ' from 64 to little
more than 26 '. Really, this was a grand achievement, especially
as it clearly emphasised the absurdity of trusting to the old
editions. But it is an abuse of language to say that * The Cuckoo
and Nightingale ' has ' always been attributed to Chaucer,' merely
^ See the pieces numbered 1-68, in vol. i. pp. 31-45. But four pieces
are in prose, viz. Boethius, Astrolabe, Testament of Love, and Jack Upland.
Of course Tyr\vhitt rejected Jack Upland. He admitted, however, rather
more than 26, the number in the edition of 1845.
V
LOUNSBURYS CANON OF THE WORKS. xv
because it happens to have been printed by Thynne in 1532, and
had the good luck to be accepted by Tyrwhitt in 1778. On the
contrary, such a piece remains on its trial; and it must be
rejected absolutely, both on the external and on the internal
evidence. Externally, becau.se no scribe or early writer connects
it with him in any way. Internally, for reasons given in vol. i.
p. 39 ' ; and for other reasons given in Lounsbury's Studies in
Chaucer.
§ 9. The chief value of the anonymous edition in 1S45 is, that it
gave practical expression to Tyrwhitt's views. The later editions
by Bell and Morris were, in some respects, retrogressive. Both,
for example, include The Lamentation of Mary Magdalene, which
Tyrwhitt rightly denounced in no dubious terms ; (sec vol. i.
above, pp. 37, 38>. But, of late years, the question of con-
structing a canon of Chaucer's genuine works has received
proper attention, and has 1)een considered by such scholars as
Henry Bradshaw, Bcrnhard ten Brink, Dr. Koch, Dr. Furnivall,
Professor Lounsbury, and others; with a fairly unanimous result.
The whole question is well summed up in Lounsbury's Studies
in Chaucer, Chapter IV, on 'The Writings of Chaucer.' His
conclusion is, that his 'examination leaves as works about which
there is no dispute twenty-six titles.' By these titles he means
The Canterbury Tales, Boethius, Troilus, The House of Fame,
The Legend of Good ^^'omen, The Astrolabe, and the nineteen
Minor Poems which I denote by the numbers I-XI, XIII-XX
(no. XX being counted as hvo). His examination did not at first
include no. XII (To Rosemoundc) ; but, in his Appendix (vol.
iii. pp. 449, 45o\ he calls attention to it, and accepts it without
hesitation. He also says of no. XXII, that 'it may be Chaucer's
own work.'
§ 10. I may add a few words about the other Minor Poems
which I now print, numbered XXI, XXIII, and XXIV-XXVI;
the last three of which appear in vol. iv. pp. xxv-xxxi.
As regards no. XXI, or 'Against Women Unconstaunt,'
* The false rime of now with icscoiie in st. 46 may be got over, it is
suggested, by a change in the readings. On the other hand, 1 now observe
a fatal rhyme in st. 17, where upon and roi rime with tnon, a man. When
such a form as tnon for uian) can be found in Chaucer, we may reconsider
his claim to this poem. Meanwhile, I would note the curious word gyede
in St. 27. It does not occur in Chaucer, but is frequent in The Owl and the
Nightingale.
xvi 'WOMANLY NOBLESSE.'
I observe that Mr. Pollard, in his ' Chaucer Primer,' has these
words. The authenticity of this poem ' has lately been reasserted
by Prof. Skeat, on the triple ground that it is (i) a good poem;
(2) perfect in its rhymes'; (3) found in conjunction with poems
undoubtedly by Chaucer in two MSB.' This account, however,
leaves out my chief argument, viz. its obvious dependence upon
a Ballade by ALichault, whom Chaucer is known to have imitated,
and who is not known to have been imitated by any other
Englishman. I also lay stress on the very peculiar manner in
which the poem occurs in MS. Ct. See above, vol. i. p. 88. It
should also be compared with the Balade to Rosemounde, which
it resembles in tone. It seems to me that the printing of this
poem in an Appendix is quite justifiable. We may some day
learn more about it.
§ II. As regards no. XXIV {vol. iv. p. xxv), the external
evidence is explicit. It occurs in the same MS. as that which
authenticates no. VI (A Compleint to his Lady) ; and the MS.
itself is one of Shirley's. Internally, we observe the great
peculiarity of the rhythm. Not only is the poem arranged in
nine-line stanzas, but the whole is a tour de force. In the course
of 33 lines, there are but 3 rime-endings ; and we may particularly
notice the repetition of the first two lines at the end of the poem,
just as in the Complaint of Anelida, which likewise begins and
ends with a line in which remembraunce is the last word. We
have here a specimen of the kind of nine-line stanza (examples of
which are very scarce) which Hoccleve endeavoured to imitate
in his Balade to my Lord of York "^ ; but Hoccleve had to employ
three rimes in the stanza instead of two. The poem is chiefly
of importance as an example of Chaucer's metrical experiments,
and as being an excellent specimen of a Complaint. There is
a particular reason for taking an interest in all poems of this
character, because few Complaints are extant, although Chaucer
assures us that he wrote many of them.
§ 12. As to the poems numbered XXIII (A Balade of Com-
pleynt), XXV (Complaint to my Mortal Foe, vol. iv. p. xxvii),
and XXVI (Complaint to my Lodesterre, vol. iv. p. xxix), there
are two points of interest: (i) that they are Complaints, and
' Exception may be taken to the riming of niene (1. so) with open e, and
grene with close e.
^ Hoccleve's Poems ; ed. Furnivall, p. 49 ; cf. p. 56.
THE TEXT OF THE 'TALES.' xvii
(2) that they have never been printed before. That they are
genuine, I have no clear proof to offer ; but they certainly
illustrate this peculiar kind of poem, and are of some interest ;
and it is clearly a convenience to be able to compare them with
such Complaints as we know to be genuine, particularly with
no. VI (A Complaint to his Lady). They may be considered
as relegated to an Appendix, for the purposes of comparison and
illustration. I do not think I shall be much blamed for thus
rendering them accessible. It may seem to some that it must be
an easy task to discover unprinted poems that are reasonably like
Chaucer's in vocabulary, tone, and rhythm. Those who think
so had better take the task in hand ; they will probably, in any
case, learn a good deal that they did not know before. The
student of original MSS. sees many points in a new light ; and,
if he is capable of it, will learn humility.
§ 13. The text of the Canterbury T.\les.
On this subject I have already said something above (vol. iv.
pp. xvii-xx) ; and have offered a few remarks on the texts in
former editions (vol. iv. pp. xvi, xvii ; cf. p. viii). But I now
take the opportunity of discussing the matter somewhat further.
It is unfortunate that readers have hitherto been so accustomed
to inaccurate texts, that they have necessarily imbibed several
erroneous notions. I do not hereby intend any reflection upon
the editors, as the best MSS. were inaccessible to them ; and
it is only during the last few years that many important points
regarding the grammar, the pronunciation, and the scansion of
Middle-English have been sufficiently determined '. Still, the
fact remains, and is too important to be passed over.
In particular, I may call attention to the unfortunate prejudice
against a certain habit of Chaucer's, which it taxed all the
ingenuity of some of the editors to suppress. Chaucer frequently
allows the first foot of his verse to consist of a single accented
syllable, as has been abundantly illustrated above with respect
to his Legend of Good Women (vol. iii. pp. xliv-xlvii). It was
a natural mistake on Tyrwhitt's part to attribute the apparent
fault to the scribes, and to amend the lines which seemed to
' See the admirable remarks on this subject in Lounsbury's Studies
in Chaucer, i. 305-28. Much that I wish to say is there said for me,
in a way which I cannot improve.
* * * K
xviii TYRWIIITT'S TEXT.
be so strangely defective. It will be sufficient to enumerate the
lines of this character that occur in the Prologue, viz. 11. 76, 131,
170, 247, 294, 371, and 391.
Al I bismotered with his habergeoun.
That I no drope ne fille upon hir breste
Ging I len in a whistling wind as clere.
For I to delen with no swich poraille.
Twen I ty bokes, clad in blak or reed.
Ev' I rich, for the wisdom that he can.
In I a gownc of falding to the knee.
Tyrwhitt alters Ai to A/le, meaning no doubt A/-k (dissyllabic),
which would be ungrammatical. For That, he has Thatte, as if
for That-te; whereas That is invariably a monosyllable. For
Gwg/ing, he has Gingelhig, evidently meant to be lengthened out
to a trisyllable. For For, he prints As for. For Twe)it}\ he has
A twenty. The next line is untouched ; he clearly took Everich
to be thoroughly trisyllabic ; which may be doubted. For /;/,
he has All in. And the same system is applied, throughout all
the Tales. The point is, of course, that the MSS. do not
countenance such corrections, but are almost unanimously
obstinate in asserting the ' imperfection ' of the lines \
The natural result of altering twenty to A twenty (not only
here, but again in D. 1695), was to induce the belief in students
that A t7venty hookes is a Chaucerian idiom. I can speak feelingly,
for I believed it for some years ; and I have met with many
who have done the same-. And the unfortunate part of the
business is, that the restoration of the true reading shocks the
reader's sense of propriety. This is to be regretted, certainly ;
but the truth must be told; especially as the true readings of
the MSS. are now, thanks to the Chaucer Society, accessible
to many. The student, in fact, has something to unlearn ; and
he who is most familiar with the old texts has to unlearn the
most. The restoration of the text to the form of it given in
the seven best MSS. is, consequently, in a few instances, of an
almost revolutionary character ; and it is best that this should
be said plainly".
' MS. Lansdowne (the worst of the seven) has Alle, and Gyngelinge;
Cm. has Gyngelyn ; HI. has Euery Mian ; and that is all.
- The phrase wei a ten (F. 383) is not precisely parallel.
* Thus, the Parson calls his Tale 'a mery ' one (1. 46). Tyrwhitt has ' a litel
tale.'
THE HARLEIAN MS. xix
The editions by Wright and Morris do not repeat the above
amendments by Tyrwhitt ; but strictly conform to the Harleian
MS. Even so, they are not wholly correct ; for this MS. blunders
over two lines out of the seven. It gives 1. 247 in this extra-
ordinary' form : — ' For to delen with such poraile ' ; where the
omission of 710 renders all scansion hopeless. And again, it
gives 1. 371 in the form: — ' Euery man for the wisdom that
he can ' ; which is hardly pleasing. And in a great many places,
the faithful following of this treacherous MS. has led the editors
into sad trouble.
§ 14. The Harleian MS. The printing of this MS. for the
Chaucer Society enables us to see that Mr. Wright did not adhere
so closely to the text of the MS. as he would have us believe.
As many readers may not have the opportunity of testing this
statement for themselves, I here subjoin a few specimens of
lines from this MS., to shew the nature of its errors.
Bet than a lazer or a beggcre ; A. 242.
So in Wright ; for be^gere read bcggestere.
But al tliat he might gctc and his frendcs scnde ; A. 299.
Corrected by Wright.
For cchc of hem made othiir to wynne ; A. 427.
Wright has ' othury^r to wynne.' This is correct ; but the word
for is silently supplied, without comment ; and so in other cases.
Of his visage children weren aferd ; A. 628.
For weren^ read ivere ; or pronounce it 7vern. I cite this line
because it is, practically, correct, and agrees with other MSS., it
being remembered that ' visag-e ' is trisyllabic. But readers have
not, as yet, been permitted to see this line in its correct form. The
black-letter editions insert sore before aferd. Tynvhitt follows
them ; Wright follows Tyrwhitt ; and Morris follows Wright,
but prints sore in italics, to shew that there is here a deviation
from the MS. of some sort or other.
A few more quotations are here subjoined, without comment,
I not which was the fyner of hem two ; A. 1039.
To make a certeyn gerland for hire heede; A. 1054.
And hereth him comyng in the greues ; A. 1641.
They foyneden ech at other longe ; A. 1654.
And as wilde boores gonne they smyte
That frothen white as fome frothe wood ; A. 1658-g.
Be it of pees, other hate or loue; A. 1671.
b 2
XX THE ELLESMERE MS.
That sche for whom they haue this lelousj-e ; A. 1807 ^
As he that hath often ben caught in his lace; A. 1817.
Charmes and sorcery, lesynges and flatcry ; A. 1927.
And abouen hire heed dovvucs fleyng ; A. 1962.
A bowe he bar, and arwes fair and greene ; A. 1966.
I saugh woundes laughyng in here rage.
The hunt strangled with wilde bores corage ; A. 201 1-8 ^
The riche aray of Thebes his paleys ; A. 2199.
Now ryngede the tromp and clarioun ; A. 2600.
In goth the spcres into the rest ; A. 2602.
But as a lustes or as a turmentyng; A. 2720,
And rent forth by arme foot and too; A. 2726.
Of olde folk that ben of tcndre yeeres ; A. 2828.
And eek more ryalte and holynesse ; A. 3180.
He syngeth crowyng as a nightyngale ; A. 3377.
What wikked way is he gan, gan he crye ; A. 4078,
His wyf burdoun a ful strong; A. 4165.
These examples shew that the Harleian MS. requires very
careful watching. There is no doubt as to its early age and
its frequent helpfulness in difficult passages ; but it is not the
kind of MS. that should be greatly trusted.
§ 15. The Ellesmere MS. The excellence of this MS. renders
the task of editing the Tales much easier than that of editing
The House of Fame or the Minor Poems. The text here given
only varies from it in places where variation seemed highly
desirable, as explained in the footnotes. As to my general
treatment of it, I have spoken above (vol. iv. pp. xviii-xx).
One great advantage of this MS., quite apart from the excellence
of its readings, is the highly phonetic character of the spelling.
The future editor will probably some day desire to normalise the
spelling of Chaucer throughout his works. If so, he must very
carefully study the spelling of the Ellesmere and Hengwrt MSS.,
which resemble each other very closely. By their help, it
becomes possible to regulate the use of the final ^ to a very
great extent, which is extremely helpful for the scansion of the
lines.
§ 16. This matter is best illustrated by referring, for a while,
to the old black-letter editions ; moreover, the whole matter
will appear in a clearer light if we consider, at the same time, the
remarkable argument put forward by Prof. Morley (Eng. Writers,
V. 126) in favour of the genuineness of The Court of Love.
' lelousye cannot rime with me.
* The latter line answers to A. 2018; lines 2012-7 being wholly omitted.
THE OLD EDITIONS. xxi
' Chaucer (he says) could not have written verse that would
scan without sounding in due place the final -e. But when the
final e came to be dropped, a skilful copyist of later time would
have no difficulty whatever in making the lines run without it . . .
If Chaucer wrote — "But that I like, may I not come by'" — it
was an easy change to — ** But that I like, i/iat may I not come by."
With so or and, or 7£'^//, or gaf, or thaf, and many a convenient
monosyllable, lines that seemed short to the later ear were readily
eked out.' He then proceeds to give a specimen from the
beginning of the Canterbury Tales, suggesting, by way of example,
that 1. 9 can easily be made to scan in modern fashion by
writing — 'And when the small fowls maken melodye.'
Such a theory would be perfectly true, if it had any basis in
facts. The plain answer is, that later scribes easily might have
eked out lines which seemed deficient ; only, as a matter of fact,
they did not do so. The notion that Chaucer's lines run smoothly,
and can be scanned, is quite a modern notion, largely due to
Tyrwhitt's common sense. The editors of the sixteenth century
did not knoic that Chaucer's lines ran smoothly, and did not often
attempt to mend them, but generally gave them up as hopeless ;
and we ought to be much obliged to them for doing so. When-
ever they actually make amendments here and there, the patching
is usually plain enough. The fact is, however, that they commonly
let the texts alone ; so that if they followed a good MS., the lines
will frequently scan, not by their help, but as it were in spite of
them.
§ 17. Let us look for a moment, at the very edition by Stowe
(in 1 561), which contains the earliest copy of The Court of Love.
The 9th line of the tales runs thus:— 'And smale fowles maken
melodic,' which is sufficiently correct. We can scan it now in
the present century, but it is strongly to be suspected that Stowe
could not, and did not care to try. For this is how he presents
some of the lines.
Redie to go in my pilgrimage; A. sr.
For him, wenden or tvende was a monosyllable ; and ^^6* would do
just as well.
The chambres and stables vveren wyde ; A. 28.
He omits the before stables ; it did not matter to him. So that,
' Which, by the way, makes come monosyllabic.
xxii DRYDEN ON CHAUCER.
instead oi filling up an imperfect line, as Prof. Morley says he
would be sure to do, he leaves a gap.
To tel you al the condicion ; A. 38,
Tel should be tel-le. As it is, the line halts. But where is the
filling up by the help of some convenient monosyllable ?
I add a few more examples, from Stowe, without comment.
For to tell you of his aray ; A. 73.
In hope to stande in his ladyes grace ; A. 88.
And Frenche she spake ful fetously; A. 124.
Her mouth smale, and therto softe and reed ; A. 153.
It was almost a span brode, I trowe ; A. 155.
Another None with her had she ; A. 163.
And in harping, whan he had song ; A. 266.
Of hem that helpen him to scholay ; A. 302.
Not a worde spake more than nede ; A. 304.
Was very felicite perfite ; A. 338.
His barge was called the Maudelain ; A. 410.
It is needless to proceed; it is obvious that Stowe was not the
man who would care to eke out a line by filling it up with convenient
monosyllables. And it is just because these old editors usually let
the text alone, that the old black-letter editions still retain a certain
value, and represent some lost manuscript.
§ 18. One editor, apparently Speght, actually had an inkling of
the truth ; but he was promptly put down by Dryden (Pref. to the
Fables). ' The verse of Chaucer, I confess, is not harmonious to
us ; . . . there is the rude sweetness of a Scotch tune in it, which
is natural and pleasing, though not perfect. It is true, I cannot
go so far as he who published the last edition of him; for he
would make us believe the fault is in our ears, and that there were
really ten syllables in a verse where we find but nine ; but this
error is not worth confuting ; it is so gross and obvious an error ',
that common sense (which is a rule in everything but matters of
faith and revelation) must convince the reader, that equality of
numbers in every verse which we call Heroic, was either not known,
or not always practised in Chaucer's age. It were an easy matter
to produce some thousands of verses, which are lame for want of
half a foot, and sometimes a whole one, and which no pronuncia-
tion can make otherwise.' We cannot doubt that such was the
prevalent opinion at that time.
* Dryden had some reason ; for whenever (as often) the editors omitted
some essential word, the line could not possibly be right.
RULES FOR READING. xxiii
§ 19. For such readers as do not wish to study the language or
the grammar of Chaucer, but merely wish to read the text with
some degree of comfort, and to come by the stories and their
general literary expression with the least possible trouble, the Elles-
mere MS. furnishes quite an ideal text. Such a reader has only
to observe the following empirical rules \
1. Pronounce every final e like the final a in China^ except in a
few very common words like wo/de, sholde, were, and the like, which
may be read as wold\ shold\ tcer', unless the metre seems to demand
that they should be fully pronounced. The commonest clipped
words of this character are have, hadde (when a mere auxiliary),
were, 7iere (were not), wolde, nolde (would not), thise (like mod. E.
these), othere, and a few others, that are easily picked up by
observation.
2. Always pronounce final -ed, -es, -en, as distinct syllables, unless
it is particularly convenient to clip them. Such extra syllables,
like the final -e, are especially to be preserved at the end of the line ;
a large number of the rimes being double (or feminine).
3. But the final -e is almost invariably elided, and other light
syllables, especially -en, -er, -el, are frequently treated as being
redundant, whenever the next word following begins with a vowel
or is one of the words (beginning with h) in the following list,
viz. he, his, him, her, hir (their), hem (them), hath, hadde, have,
haiv, heer.
These three simple rules will go a long way. An attentive
reader will thus catch the swing of the metre, and will be carried
along almost mechanically. The chief obstacle to a succession of
smooth lines is the jerk caused by the occasional occurrence
of a line defective in the first foot, as explained above. Perhaps
it may be further noted that an e sometimes occurs, as a distinct
syllable, in the middle of a word as well as at the end of it,
Exx. : Eng-e-iond {k. 16); %vod-e-craft (k. no); sem-e-iy {A. 136).
§ 20. We must also remember that the accentuation of many
words, especially of such as are of French origin, was quite different
then from what it is now. A word like 'reason' was then
properly pronounced resoun (rezuun), i. e. somewhat like a modern
ray-zbon \ but even in Chaucer's day the habit of throwing back
the accent was beginning to prevail, and there was a tendency to
* The explanation of these rules depends upon Middle-English grammar
and pronunciation ; for which see the Introduction to vol. vi.
xxiv RULES FOR READING.
say rcson (rcezun), somewhat like a modern rdy-zim. Chaucer
avails himself of this variable accent, and adopts the sound which
comes in more conveniently at the moment *. Thus while we find
resbtui (rezuun) in 1. 37, in 1. 274 we find rcsons (reezunz),
§ 21. I give a few examples of the three rules stated above.
The following words are properly dissyllabic, in the Prologue
to the Canterbury Tales: — (1, i) shoii-res, so-te ; (2) drogh-te,
Mar-che,per-ced,ro-fe; {t,) ba-ihed,vey-ne; (s) S7ve-/e; {f) crop-pes^
yon-ge, son-ne ; (8) half-e ; (9) sma-le^fow-les^ ma-ken ; (10) sk-pen,
o-pen,y-c; (13) straim-ge^ strond-es ; (14) fer-ne^ hal-wes, lon-des ;
(15) shi-res, end-e ; and so on.
In the same way, there are three syllables in (i) A-pril-le ;
(4) en-getid-red ; {^) Zeph-i-rus ; (6) In-spi-red ; (8) y-ron-ne ; ^o,.
And there are four syllables in (9) me'l-o-dy-c ; (12) pil-grvn-d-ges.
Elision takes place of the e in drogh-te and of the e in couth-e in
1. 14 ; of the e in tiyn-e in 1. 24 ; &c. In such cases, the words may
be read as if spelt droght, couth, ?iy}i, for convenience. There
are some cases in which the scribe actually fails to write a final <?,
owing to such elision ; but they are not common. I have noted
a few in the Glossarial Index.
The final e is ignored, before a consonant, in ^vere (59, 68, 74,
81); and even, which is not common, in hope (88) and 7iose (152).
As examples of accents to which we are no longer accustomed,
we may notice A-pril-le (i) 3 ver-tu (4) ; cor-d-ges (n) ; d-ven-ture
(25); tb-zvard (27); re-sbtin (37); hon-bur{dfi)) hon-bur-ed (50);
a-ry-ve {^6) \ sta-tu-re (Zt,); Cur-teys (gc)).
The lines were recited deliberately, with a distinct pause near
the middle of each, at which no elision could take place. At this
medial pause there is often a redundant syllable (as is more fully
explained in vol. vi). Thus, in 1. 3, the -e in veyn-e should be
preserved, though modern readers are sure to ignore it. Cf. carie
in 1. 130 ; studie in 1. 184 ; &:c.
§ 22. By help of the above hints, some notion of the melody
of Chaucer may be gained, even by such as adopt the modern
English pronunciation. It is right, however, to bear in mind that
most of the vowels had, at that time, much the same powers as in
modern French and Italian ; and it sometimes makes a con-
' A v^ord like taverne is ia-ve'r-ue, in three syllables, if the accent be on
the second syllable ; but when it is on the first, it becomes tdv-ern\ and is
only dissyllabic.
MODERNISED SPELLING. xxv
siderable difference. Thus the word charitahle in 1. 143 was
really pronounced more like the modern French charitable ; only
that the initial sound was that of the O. F. and E. ch, as in church,
not that of the modern French ch in cJicr. For further remarks
on the pronunciation, see vol. vi.
§ 23, The feeble suggestion is sometimes made that Chaucer's
spelling ought to be modernised, like that of Shakespeare. This
betrays a total ignorance of the history of English spelling. It is
not strictly the case, that Shakespeare's spelling has been
modernised; for the fact is the other way, viz. that in all that
is most essential, it is the spelling of Shakespeare's time that
has been adopted in modern English. The so-called ' modern '
spelling is really a survival, and is sadly unfit, as we all know
to our cost, for representing modern English sounds. By
' modernising,' such critics usually mean the cutting off of final
e in places where it was just as little required in Elizabethan
English as it is now; the freer use of 'v' and of 'j'; and so
forth ; nearly all of the alterations referring to unessential details.
Such alterations would have been useful even in Shakespeare's
time, and would not have touched the character of the spelling.
But the spelling of Chaucer's time refers to quite a different
age, when a large number of inflections were still in use that
have since been discarded; so that it involves changes in essential
and vital points. As it happens, the spelling of the Ellesmere
MS. is phonetic in a very high degree. Pronounce the words
as they are spelt, but with the Italian vowel-sounds and the
German final e, and you come very near the truth. If this is too
much trouble, pronounce the words as they are spelt, with modern
English vowels (usually adding a final e, pronounced like a in
China, when it is visibly present) ; and, even so, it is easy to
follow. The alteration of a word like (2ue7ie to queene does not
make it any easier ; and the further alteration to queen destroys
its dissyllabic nature. Besides, those who want the spelling
modernised can get it in GilfiUan's edition.
Surely, it is better to stick to the true old phonetic spelling.
Boys at school, who have learnt Attic Greek, are supposed to be
able to face the spelling of Homer without wincing, though it is
not their native language ; and the number of Englishwomen who
are fairly familiar with !Middle-English is becoming considerable.
§ 24. As regards the Notes in the present volume, it will be
xxvi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.
readily understood that I have copied them or collected them
from many sources. Many of those on the Prologue and Knightes
Tale were really written by Dr. Morris ; but, owing to the great
kindness he shewed me in allowing me to work in conjunction
with him on terms of equality, I should often be hard put to it to
say which they are. A large number are taken from the editions
by Tyrwhitt, Wright, and Bell ; but these are usually acknowledged.
Others I have adopted from the various works published by the
Chaucer Society ; from the excellent notes by Dr. Koppell,
Dr. Kolbing, and Dr. Koch that have appeared in Anglia, and
in similar publications ; and from Professor Lounsbury's excellent
work entitled Studies in Chaucer. I have usually endeavoured
to point out the sources of my information ; and, if I have in
several cases failed to do this, I hope it will be understood that,
as Chaucer's fox said, ' I dide it in no wikke entente.' Perhaps
this may seem an unlucky reference, for the fox was not speaking
the strict truth, as we all know that he ought to have done. If
I may take any credit for any part of the Notes, I think it may be
for my endeavour to hunt up, as far as I could, a large number of
the very frequent allusions to Le Roman de la Rose ^, and to such
authors as Ovid and Statins; besides undertaking the more
difficult task involved in tracing out some of the mysterious
references which occur in the margins of the manuscripts. For
the Tale of Melibeus, I naturally derived much help and comfort
from the admirable edition of Albertano's Liber Consolationis
by Thor Sundby, and the careful notes made by Matzner. As
for the references in the Persones Tale, I should never have
found out so many of them, but for the kind assistance of the
Rev. E. Marshall. To all my predecessors in the task of anno-
tation, and to all helpers, I beg leave to express my hearty thanks.
For further remarks on this and some other subjects, see vol. vi.
As it frequently happens that it is highly desirable to be able
to recover speedily the whereabouts of a note on some particular
word or subject, an Index to the Notes is appended to this
volume.
' Many of them were discovei-ed by Dr. KOppell.
ERRATA IN VOL IV.
At p. xxiv of vol. iv, a list of Errata is griven, many of which are of slight
importance. Much use of this volume, for the purpose of illustration, has
brought to my notice a few more Errata, six of which, here marked with
an asterisk, are worth special notice.
P. Tg. A 636. For Thanne read Than
P. 37. A 1248. The end-stop should be only a colon.
P. 41. A 1419. The end-stop should be only a semicolon.
P. 138. B 295. For mocvyng read moeving
Pp. 151, 155. B 724, 858. /"o/- Constable /rar/ constable
* P. 165. B 1 1 78. Fur he read he
P. 187. B 1843. The end-stop should (perhaps) be a semicolon.
P. 232. B 2865. For haue read have
P. 259. B 3670. The end-stop should be a comma.
* P. 275. B 4167. /'or Than rmrf That
* P. 348. D 955. For which nad whiclie
P. 349. D 1009. For Plighte read Plight
P. 384. D2152. Dele ' at beginning.
* P. 398. E 290. MS. E has set ( = setteth, />;-. s.] ; u'hich scans better than
sett^, as in other MSS.
P. 409. E 656. For Left read Lefte [though the e is elided].
* P. 462. F 56. For Him read Hem
P. 546. G 1224. Dele the final comma.
* P. 608 ; end of 1. 14. /"or power or {as in E.) 7ead power of (<?s tn the rest).
P. 620 : 11. 16, 17. Dele the cotnnias a/ffr receyven a>id folk
VOL. V. ADDENDA, etc.
P. 73 ; 1. lo from bottom. Dele comma after Thornton.
P. 262; note to C 60. Cf Ayenbite of Inwyt, p. 205 : — 'Ac the greate
metes and thet stronge wyn alighteth and norisseth lecherie, ase oyle
other grese alighteth and strengtheth thet uer ' [i. e. the fire]. This
passage occurs quite close to that quoted in the note to A 4406. Probably
Chaucer took both of these from the French original of the Ayenbite. Cf.
P- 447-
P. 450. The note to G 1171 has been accidentally omitted, but is important.
The reading should here be tervcd, not tormd; and again, in G 1274, read
ierve, not torue. The Ellesmere MS. is really right in both places, though
terued appears as tamd in the Six-text edition. These readings are duly
noted in the Errata to vol. iv, at p. xxvi. The verb ierve means ' to strip/ or
'to roll back' the edge of a cuff or the like. The Bremen Worterbuch
has: ' nm farven, up tarven, den Rand von einem Kleidungstiicke umschlagen,
das innerste auswarts kehren.' Hence read tiniedcn in Havelok, 603 ;
tenien of in the Wars of Alexander, 4114 ; iynie in Allit. Poems, ed. Morris,
B. 630; and tyrnen in Gawain and the Grene Knight, 1921.
NOTES
TO THE
CANTERBURY TALES.
N.B. The spellings between marks of parenthesis indicate the pronunciation,
according to the scheme given in the Introduction.
References to other lines in the Canterbury Tales are denoted by the Group
and line. Thus 'B. 134' means Group B, 1. 134, i.e. the first line in the
Man of Lawes Tale.
Notes taken from editions by Tyrwhitt, Wright, Bell, and Morris, are
usually marked accordingly; sometimes T. denotes Tyrwhitt, and M., Morris.
1. In the Man of Law's Prologue, B. 1-6, there is definite mention of
the i8th day of April. The reference is, in that passage, to the second
day of the pilgrimage. Consequently, the allusion in 11. 19-23 below
is to April 16, and in 1. 822 to April 17. The year may be supposed
to be 1387 (vol. iii. p. 373).
' When that April, with his sweet showers.' Aprille is here
masculine, like Lat. Aprilis ; cf. 1. 5.
shoiires (shuu'rez), showers ; pi. of shour, A. S. scilr (skuur). The
etymology of all words of this character, which are still in use, can be
found by looking out the modem form of the word in my Etymological
Dictionary. I need not repeat such information here.
sole, sweet, is another form of swete, which occurs just below in
1. 5. The e is not, in this case, the mark of the plural, as the forms
sote, swete are dissyllabic, and take a final e in the singular also. Sote
is a less correct form of swote ; and the variation between the long o
in s%vote and the long e in sweie is due to confusion between the
adverbial and adjectival uses. Swote corresponds to A. S. swdt, adv.,
sweetly, and swete to A. S. swete., adj., sweet. The latter exhibits
mutation of ^ to e\ cf. mod. '^. goose, p\. geese (A. S. gos, pi. ges).
In this Introduction, Chaucer seems to have had in his mind the
2 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a.
passage which begins Book IV. of Guido delle Colonne's HistoriaTroiae,
which is as follows : — 'Tempus erat quo sol maturans sub obliquo zodiaci
circulo cursum suum sub signo iam intrauerat Arietis , . . celebratur
equinoxium primi veris, tunc cum incipit tempus blandiri mortalibus
in aeris serenitate intentis, tunc cum dissolutis ymbribus Zephiri
flantes molliciter (m) crispant aquas . . . tunc cum ad summitates
arborum et ramorum humiditates ex terre gremio examplantes ex-
tollunt in eis ; quare insultant scmina, crescunt segetes, virent prata,
variorum colorum floribus illusti'ata . . . tunc cum ornatur terra
graminibus, cantant volucres, et in dulcis armonie modulamine
citharizant. Tunc quasi medium mensis Aprilis effluxerat ' ; &c.
We may also note the passage in Vincent of Beauvais, Speculum
Natiirale, lib. xv. c. 66, entitled De Vere: — ' Sol vero ad radices her-
barum et arborum penetrans, humorem quem ibi coadunatum hyeme
reperit, attrahit ; herba vero, vel arbor suam inanitionem sentiens a
terra attrahit humorem, quem ibi sui similitudine adiuuante calore Solis
transmutat, sicque reuiuiscit ; inde est quod quidam mensis huius
temporis Aprilis dicitur, quia tunc terra praedicto modo aperitur.'
2. droght-e, ^x^nt%%\ P^.S.dnlgathe\ essentially dissyllabic, but the
final e is elided. Pron. (druuht'). perced, pierced, rot-e, dat. of root,
a root ; Icel. rdt\ written for rooie. The double o is not required to
shew vowel-length, when a single consonant and an e follow.
4. vertu, efficacy, productive agency, vital energy. 'And bathed
every vein (of the tree or herb) in such moisture, by means of which
quickening power the flower is generated.' Pron. (vertii').
5. Zephirus, the zephyr, or west wind. Cf. Chaucer's Book of the
Duchess, 1. 402, and the note. There are two more references to
Zephirus in the translation of Boethius, bk. i. met. 5 ; bk. ii. met. 3.
6. holt, wood, grove ; A. S. holt ; cf. G. Holz.
7. croppes, shoots, extremities of branches, especially towards the top
of a tree; hence simply tree-tops, tops of plants, (Sec. Hence to crop is
'to cut the tops ofT.' Cf. A. 1532 ; tr. of Boethius, bk. iii. met. 2. 24 ;
Rom. Rose, 1396; and note to P. Plowman, B. xvi. 69.
yonge sonne (yungga sunna) ; see the next note. The -e in yong-e
denotes the definite form of the article. Sonn-e, A. S.si{nna, is essen-
tially dissyllabic.
8. the Ram. The difficulty here really resides in the expression ' his
halfe cours,' which means what it says, viz. ' his half-course,' and not, as
Tyrwhitt unfortunately supposed, ' half his course.' The results of the
two explanations are quite different. Taking Chaucer's own expression
as it stands, he tells us that, a little past the middle of April, ' the
young sun has run his half-course in the Ram.' Turning to Fig. i in
The Astrolabe (see vol. iii.), we see that, against the month ' Aprilis,'
there appears in the circle of zodiacal signs, the latter half (roughly
speaking) of Aries, and the/frw^r half of Taurus. Thus the sun in
April runs a half-course in the Ram and a half-course in the Bull.
' The former of these was completed,' says the poet ; which is as much
Ll.i-14.] THE PROLOGUE. 3
as to say, that it ivas past the eleventh of April \ for, in Chaucer's time,
the sun entered Aries on March 12, and left that sign on April 11. See
note to I. I.
March.
April. May,
Aries.
Taurus.
Gemini.
The sun had, in fact, only just completed his course through the first
of the twelve signs, as the said course was supposed to begin at the
vernal equinox. This is why it is called 'the yonge sonne,' an ex-
pression which Chaucer repeats under similar circumstances in the
Squyeres Tale, F. 385. Y-ronne, for X.S.gerunueny pp. oi rimian,\.o
run (M. E. rinnen^ rinne). The M.E. _y-, A. S. ^^-j is a mere prefix,
mostly used with past participles.
9. Pron. (and smaaia fuu'lez maa'ken melodii'a) ; ' and little birds
make melody.* Qi.fowel (fuulj, a bird, in 1. 190.
10. open ye, open eye. Cf. the modem expression ' with one eye
open.' This line is copied in the Sowdone of Babylon, 11. 41-46.
11. 'So nature excites them, in their feelings (instincts).' hir, their ;
A. S. hira, lit. ' of them,' gen. pi. of he, he. corage (kuraaja) ; mod. E.
courage ; see 1. 22.
12. 13. According to ordinary English construction, the verb longen
must be supplied zii^r palmers. In fact, 1. 13 is parenthetical. Note
that Than, in 1. 1 2, answers to Whan in 1. I.
13. pabner, originally, one who made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land
and brought home a /a//«-branch as a token. Chaucer, says Tyrwhitt,
seems to consider all pilgrims to foreign parts as palmers. The
essential difference between the two classes of persons here mentioned,
the palmer and the pilgrim, was, that the latter had * some dwelling-
place, a palmer had none ; the pilgrim travelled to some certain place,
the palmer to all, and not to any one in particular ; the pilgrim might
go at his own charge, the palmer must profess wilful poverty ; the
pilgrim might give over his profession, the palmer must be constant';
Blount's Glossographia (taken from Speght). See note to P. Plowman,
B. V. 523.
The fact is, that palmers did not always reach the Holy Land. They
commonly went to Rome first, where not unfrequently the Pope ' allowed
them to wear the palm as if they had visited Palestine' ; Rock, Church
of our Fathers, vol. iii. pt. i. p. 439.
to seken, to seek ; the A. S. gerund, id secanne ; expressive of purpose.
strondes, strands, shores.
14. ferne halives, distant saints, i. e. shrines. Here/erne =ferrene =
distant, foreign. ' To ferne poeples ' ; Chaucer's Boethius, bk. ii. met. 7.
See Matzner's M. E. Diet. Ferne also means 'ancient,' but not here.
halwes, saints ; cf. Scotch Hallow-e'en, the eve of All Hallows, or
All Saints ; the word is here applied to their shrines.
Chaucer has, ' to go seken halwes,' to go (on a pilgrimage) to. seek
B 2
4 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a.
saints' shrines ; D. 657. couthe (kuudh'), well known ; A. S. <r7?3, known,
pp. of ainnan, to know, sondry (sun'dri), various.
16. ivende, go ; pret. ivente, Eng. luent. The use of the present
tense in modern English is usually restricted to the phrase ' he wends
his way.'
17. The holy blisful vtartir, Thomas h. Becket. On pilgrimages, see
Saunders, Chaucer, p. 10; and Erasmus, Peregrinatio rcligionis ergo.
There were numerous places in England sought by pilgrims, as Dur-
ham, St. Alban's, Bury, St. David's, Glastonbury, Lincoln, York, Peter-
borough, Winchester, Holywell, &c. ; but the chief were Canterbury
and Walsingham.
18. holpcn, pp. oihelpeii. The older preterites of this verb are heolp^
help, halp. seke, sick, rimes to seke, seek ; this apparent repetition is only
allowed when the repeated word is used in two different senses.
seke, pi. oi seek, A. S. seoc, sick, ill. For he7n, see n. to 1. 175.
19. Bifc'l, it befell, seson (saesun), time, ot a day, one day.
20. Tabard. Of this word Speght gives the following account in his
Glossary to Chaucer : — ' Tabard — a jaquet or sleveless coate, worne in
times past by noblemen in the warres, but now only by heraults
(heralds), and is called theyre "coate of armes in servise." It is the
signe of an inne in South warke by London, within the which was the
lodging of the Abbot of Hyde by Winchester. This is the hostelry
where Chaucer and the other pilgrims mett together, and, with Henry
Baily their hoste, accorded about the manner of their journey to Canter-
bury. And whereas through time it hath bin much decayed, it is now
by Mastery. Preston, with the Abbot's house thereto adgoyned, newly
repaired, and with convenient rooms much encreased, for the receipt of
many guests.' The inn is well described in Saunders (on Chaucer),
p. 13. See also Stow, Survey of London (ed. Thoms, p. 154);
Nares' Glossary, s. v. Tabard; Dyce's Skelton, ii. 283; Furnivall's
Temporary Preface to Chaucer, p. 1 8.
The tabard, however, was not sleeveless, though the sleeves, at first,
were very short. See the plate in Boutell's Heraldry, ed. Aveling,
p. 69 ; cf. note to P. Plowman, C. vii. 203.
lay ; used like the modern ' lodged,' or ' was stopping.'
23. come (kum'), short for cometi, pp. oicomen. hostelrye, a lodging,
inn, house, residence. Hostler properly signifies the keeper of an inn,
and not, as now, the servant of an inn who looks after the horses.
24. wel is here used like our word///// or qtiite.
25. by aventurey-falle, by adventure (chance) fallen (into company).
Pron. (aventu'r').
2%, felatvshipe, company; from yi.'E. felawe, companion, fellow.
27. wolden ryde, wished to ride. The latter verb is in the infinitive
mood, as usual after will, so wit nighter-tale, lit. with
night-time, Cursor Mundi, 1. 2783 ; on nightertale, id. 2991 ; be [by]
nychtyrtale, Barbour's Bruce, xix. 495. The word is used by Holinshed
in his account of Joan of Arc (under the date 1429), but altered in the
later edition to ' the dead of the night ' ; it also occurs in Palladius on
Husbandry, ed. Lodge, bk. i. 1. 910 ; and in The Court of Love, I. 1355.
Cf. Icel. nditar-tal, a tale, or number, of nights ; and the phrase
d ndttar-peli, at dead of night.
98. sleep, also written slep, slepte. Cf. weep, wepte ; leep, lepte, S:c. ;
such verbs, once strong, became weak. See 1. 148; and Kn. Ta.
1829 (A. 26S7).
100. car/, the past tense of kerven, to carve (pp. corven). The allu-
sion is to what was then a common custom; cf. E. 1 773; Barbour's
Bruce, i. 356. biforn, before ; A. S. biforan.
LI.8I-I04.1 THE YEMAN. ii
The Yeman.
101. Yevian, yeoman. * As a title of service, it denoted a servant of
the next degree above a.garson or groom .... The title oi yeoman was
given in a secondary sense to people of middling rank not in ser^'ice.
The appropriation of the word to signify a small landholder is more
modem.' — Tyrwhitt. In ed. 1532, this paragraph is headed — 'The
Squyers yoman,' so that Ite (in this line) means the Squire, as we
should naturally suppose from the context. Tyrwhitt, indeed, objects
that ' Chaucer would never have given the son an attendant, when the
father had none' ; but he overlooks the fact that both the squire and
the squire's man were necessarily servants to the knight, who, in this
way, really had i'u'o servants ; just as, in the note to 1. 74, I have shewn
that he had three horses. Warton, Strutt, and Todd all take this view
of the matter, as might be expected. For further information as to
the status of a yeoman, see Blackstone ; Spclman's Glossary, s. v.
Socman; Strutt, Manners and Customs, iii. 16; the Glossary to the
Habees Book, ed. Furnivall ; Waterhous, Comment, on Fortescue's
De Laudibus Legum Anglia:, ed. 1663, p. 391 ; &c.
na-mo, no more (in number). In M. E., vto relates to number, but
tnore to size ; usually, but not always ; see 1. 808.
102. hitn liste, it pleased him. liste is the past tense ; lisl, it plcaseth,
is the present. See note on 1. 37.
103. Archers were usually clad in * Lincoln green ' ; cf. D. 13S2.
104. a s/iee/o/fecok-at-^wes, a sheaf of arrows with peacocks' feathers.
Ascham, in his Toxophilus, ed. Arber, p. 129, does not say much in
favour of ' pecock fethers ' ; for ' there is no fether but onely of a goose
that hath all commodities in it. And trewelye at a short but, which
some man doth vse, the pecock feiher doth seldome kepe vp the shaft
cyther rj'ght or level, it is so roughe and heuy, so that many men which
haue taken them vp for gaynesse, hathe layde them downe agayne for
profyte ; thus for our purpose, the goose is best fether for the best
shoter.' In the Geste of Robyn Hode, pr. by W. Copland, we read —
'And every arrowe an ell longe
With peacocke well ydight,
And nocked they were with white silk,
It was a semely syght.'
' In the Liber Compotis Garderobx, sub an. 4 Edw. II., p. 53, is this
entry — Pro duodecim flechiis cum pennis de pauone emptis pro rege
de 12 den., that is. For twelve arrows plumed with peacock's feathers,
bought for the king, \2d. . . . MS. Cotton, Nero c. viii.' — Strutt, Sports
and Pastimes, bk. ii. ch. i. § 12. In the Testamenta Eboraccnsia,
i. 419, 420 (anno 1429), I find — 'Item lego . . . j. shafife of pakok-
fedird arrows : also I wyte them a dagger hamest with sylver.' The
latter phrase illustrates 1. 114 below. See further in Warton's note on
this passage ; Hist. E. Poet. 1840, ii. 211.
12 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a.
106. takel, lit. * implement ' or * implements ' ; here the set of arrows.
Yot takcl in the sense of 'arrow,' see Rom. Rose, 1729, 1863. 'He
knew well how to arrange his shooting-gear in a yeomanlike manner.'
Strutt, Sports and Pastimes, bk. ii. c. I. § 16, quotes a ballad in which
Robin Hood proposes that each man who misses the mark shall lose
'his iakelV\ and one of the losers says — * Syr abbot, I deliver thee
myne arroive.^ Fairholt is. v. Tackle) quotes from A Lytell Geste of
Robyn Hood—
' When they had theyr bowes ibent,
Their iacles fedred fre.'
In the Cursor Mundi, 1. 3600, Isaac sends Esau to hunt, saying : — * Ga
lok thi tacle be puruaid.' Cotgrave gives — * Tacle, m. any (headed)
shaft, or boult whose feathers be not waxed, but glued on.' Roquefort
says the same.
107. The sense is — ' His arrows did not present a draggled appear-
ance owing to the feathers being crushed'; i.e. the feathers stood out
erect and regularly, as necessary to secure for them a good flight.
109. not-hecd, a head closely cut or cropped. Cf. * To A^otie his haire,
comas recidere^ \ Baret's Alvearie, 1580. Shakespeare has not-pated,
i.e. crop-headed, i Henry IV, ii. 4. 78. Cooper's Thesaurus, 1565, has:—
* Tondere, to cause his heare to be notted or polled of a harbour ' ; also,
* to noiie his heare shorte ' ; also, * Tonsiis homo, a man rounded, polled,
or notted} Cotgrave explains the F. tonsure as ' a sheering, clipping,
powling, notting, cutting, or paring round.' Florio, ed. 1598, explains
Ital. zucconare as ' to poule, to nott, to shave, or cut off one's haire,' and
zuccone as ' a shauen pate, a 7iotted poule.' And more illustrations
might be adduced, as e. g. the explanation of Nott-pated in Nares'
Glossary. In later days the name of Roundhead came into use for
a like reason. Cf. 'your not t- headed conntry gentleman'; Chapman,
The Widow's Tears, Act i. sc. 4.
110. ' He understood well all the usage of woodcraft.'
111. bracer, a guard for the arm used by archers to prevent the
friction of the bow-string on the coat. It was made like a glove with
a long leathern top, covering the fore-arm (Fairholt). See it described
m Ascham's Toxophilus, ed. Arber, pp. 107, 108. Cf. E. brace.
112. For a description of ' sword and buckler play,' see Strutt's Sports
and Pastimes, bk. iii. c. 6. § 22 ; Brand, Pop. Antiquities, ed. Ellis, ii.
400.
114. Harneised, equipped. *A certain girdle, harnessed w'x'Cn. silver'
is spoken of in Riley's Memorials of London, p. 399, with reference to
the year 1376; cf. Riley's tr. of Liber Albus, p. 521. ' De j daggar
harnisiat' xr/.' ; (1439) York W'ills, iii. 96. * De vj paribus cultellorum
harnesiat' cum auricalco. xvjV.'; ibid. 'A dagger harnest with
sylver' ; id. i. 419. And see note to 1. 104.
115. Christofre. *A figure of St. Christopher, used as a brooch. . . .
The figure of St. Christopher was looked upon with particular reverence
L1.I06-I20.] THE PRIORESSE. 13
among the middle and lower classes ; and was supposed to possess the
power of shielding the person who looked on it from hidden dangers';
note in Wright's Chaucer. This belief is clearly shewn by a passage
in Wright's History of Caricature. It is of so early an origin that we
already meet with it in Anglo-Saxon in Cockayne'sShrine, p. 77, where
we are told that St. Christopher ' prayed God that every one who has
any relic of him should never be condemned in his sins, and that God's
anger should never come upon him'; and that his prayer was granted.
There is a well-known early woodcut exhibiting one of the earliest
specimens of block-printing, engraved at p. 123 of Chambers' Book of
Days, vol. ii, and frequently elsewhere. The inscription beneath the
figure of the saint runs as follows : —
'Christofori faciem die quacunque tueris
IlJa nempe die morte mala non morieris.'
Hence the Yeoman wore his brooch for good luck. St. Christopher's
day is July 25. For his legend, see Mrs. Jameson's Sacred and
Legendary Art, ii. 48 ; &c. shetie ; see n. to 1. 160.
116. Riley, in his Memorials of London, p. 115, explains baldric as
* a belt passing mostly round one side of the neck, and under the oppo-
site arm.' In 1 3 14, a baldric cost l2d. (same reference). See Spenser,
F. Q. i. 7. 29.
Wl./orster, forester. Hence the names Forester, Forster, and
Foster.
The Prioresse.
118. 'A nunne, y wene a pr>'ores'; Rob. of Brunne, Hand. Synne,
7S09.
120. In this line, as in 11. 509 and 697, the word se-ynt seems to be
dissyllabic. Six MSS. agree here ; and the seventh (Harleianj has nas
for was^ which keeps the same rhythm. Edd. 1532, 1550, and 1561
have the same words, omitting but.
seynt Loy. Loy is from Eloy, i.e. St. Eligius, whose day is Dec. i ;
see the long account of him in Butler's Lives of the Saints. He was
a goldsmith, and master of the mint to Clotaire II., Dagobert I., and
Clovis II. of France ; and was also bishop of Noyon. He became the
patron saint of goldsmiths, farriers, smiths, and carters. The Lat.
Eligiits necessarily became Eloy in O. French, and is Eloy or Lay in
English, the latter form being the commoner. The Catholicon Angli-
cum (a. D. 1483) gives: ' Loye, elegius {sic), nomen proprium.' Sir
T. More, Works, ed. 1577, p. 194, says : '5/. Loy we make an horse-
leche.' Bamaby Googe, as cited in Brand, Pop. Antiq. i. 364 (ed.
Ellis), says : —
* And Loye the smith doth looke to horse, and smithes of all degree,
If they with iron meddle here, or if they goldesmithes bee.'
There is a district called Si. Loye's in Bedford ; a Saint Loyes chapel
14 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a.
near Exeter ; &c. Churchyard mentions ' swctiQ Saynct Loy' \ Siege of
Leith, St. 50. In Lyndesay's Monarch^, bk. ii. lines 2299 and 2367, he
is called 'sanct Eloy.^ In D. 1564, the carter prays to God and Saint
Loy, joining the names according to a common formula ; but the
Prioress dropped the divine name. Perhaps she invoked Si. Loy as
being the patron saint of goldsmiths ; for she seems to have been
a little given to a love of gold and corals ; see 11. 158-162. Warton's
notion, that Loy was a form oi Lotus, only shews how utterly unknown,
in his time, were the phonetic laws of Old French.
Many more illustrations might be added ; such as — ^By St. Loy, that
draws deep'; Nash's Lenten Stuff, ed. Hindley, p. xiv. 'God save
her and Saint Loye' ; Jack Juggler, ed. Roxburgh Club, p. 9 ; and see
Eligitis in the Index to the Parker Society's publications.
We already find, in Guillaume de Machault's Confort d'Ami, near
the end, the expression : — * Car je te jur, par saint Eloy'; Works, ed.
1849, p. 120.
The life of St. Eligius, as given in Alban Butler's Lives of the Saints,
contains a curious passage, which seems worth citing : — ' St. Owen
relates many miracles which followed his death, and informs us that
the holy abbess, St. Aurea, who was swept off by a pestilence, . . was
advertised of her last hour some time before it, by a comfortable vision
of St. Eligius.^ See also Mrs. Jameson's Sacred and Legendary' Art,
3rd ed., p. 728.
There is, perhaps, a special propriety in selecting St. Loy for mention
in the present instance. In an interesting letter in The Athenaum foi
Jan. 10, 1 891, p. 54, Prof. Hales drew attention to the story about
St. Eligius cited in Maitland's Dark Ages, pp. 83-4, ed. 1853. When
Dagobert asked Eligius to swear upon the relics of the saints, the
bishop refused. On being further pressed to do so, he burst into tears ;
whereupon Dagobert exclaimed that he would believe him without an
oath. Hence, to swear by St. Loy was to swear by one who refused to
swear ; and the oath became (at second-hand) no oath at all. See
Hales, Folia Literaria, p. 102. At any rate, it was a very mild one
for those times. Cf. Amis and Amiloun, 877 : — ' Than answered that
maiden bright. And swore " by Jesu, ful of might." '
12L cleped, called, named; A. S. cleopian, clypian, to call. Cf. Sir
David Lyndesay's Monarch^, bk. iii. 1. 4663 : —
' The seilye Nun wyll thynk gret schame
Without scho callit be Mada7ne.'
122. * She sang the divine service.' Here ser-vic-l is trisyllabic, with
a secondary accent on the last syllable.
123. Entuned, intoned, nose is the reading of the best MSS. The
old black-letter editions read voice (wrongly).
semely, in a seemly manner, is in some MSS. written setnily. The
e is here to be distinctly sounded ; hertily is sometimes written for
hertely. See 11. 136, 151.
L1.I2I-I26.1 THE PRIORESSE. 15
124. faire, adv. fairly, well, fetisly, excellently ; see 1. 157.
125. scale, school ; here used for siyle or pronunciation.
126. Frensh. Mr. Cutts (Scenes and Characters of the Middle
Ages, p. 58) says very justly : — 'She spoke French correctly, though
with an accent which savoured of the Benedictine convent at Stratford-
le-Bow, where she had been educated, rather than of Paris.' There is
nothing to shew that Chaucer here speaks slightingly of the French
spoken by the Prioress, though this view is commonly adopted by
newspaper-writers who know only this one line of Chaucer, and cannot
forbear to use it in jest. Even Tyrwhitt and Wright have thoughtlessly
given currency to this idea ; and it is worth remarking that Tyrwhitt's
conclusion as to Chaucer thinking but meanly of Anglo-French, was
derived las he tells us) from a remark in the Prologue to the Testament
of Love, which Chaucer did not write ! But Chaucer merely states a
fact, viz. that the Prioress spoke the usual Anglo-French of the English
court, of the English law-courts, and of the English ecclesiastics of the
higher rank. The poet, however, had been himself in France, and
knew precisely the difference between the two dialects ; but he had no
special reason for thinking more highly of the Parisian than of the
Anglo-French. He merely states that the French which she spoke so
'fetisly' was, naturally, such as was spoken in England. She had never
travelled, and was therefore quite satisfied with the French which she
had learnt at home. The language of the King of England was quite
as good, in the esteem of Chaucer's hearers, as that of the King of
France ; in fact, king Edward called himself king of France as well as
of England, and king John was, at one time, merely his prisoner.
Warton's note on the line is quite sane. He shews that queen Philippa
wrote business letters in French (doubtless Anglo-French) with 'great
propriety.* What Mr. Wright means by saying that * it was similar to
that used at a later period in the courts of law ' is somewhat puzzling.
It was, of course, not simitar to, but the very same language as was
used at the very same period in the courts of law. In fact, he and
Tyrwhitt have unconsciously given us the view entertained, not by
Chaucer, but by unthinking readers of the present age ; a view which
is 7tot expressed, and was probably not intended. At the modem
Stratford we may find Parisian French inefficiently taught ; but at the
ancient Stratford, the very important Anglo-French was taught effi-
ciently enough. There is no parallel between the cases, nor any such
jest as the modern journalist is never weary of, being encouraged
by critics who ought to be more careful. The ' French of Norfolk '
as spoken of in P. Plowman (B. v. 239) was no French at all, but
English ; and the alleged parallel is misleading, as the reader who
cares to refer to that passage will easily see.
' Stratford-at-Bow, a Benedictine nunnery, was famous even then for
its antiquity.' — Todd, Illustrations of Chaucer, p. 233. It is said by
Tanner to have been founded by William, bp. of London, before 1087 ;
but Dugdale says it was founded by one Christiana de Sumery, and
i6 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Grou?A.
that her foundation was confirmed by King Stephen. It was dedicated
to St. Leonard.
u/ikncnuc, short for tmknoivcn, unknown.
127. At mete. Tyrwhitt has acutely pointed out how Chaucer,
throughout this passage, merely reproduces a passage in his favourite
book, viz. Le Roman de la Rose, ed. Meon, 1. 13612, &c., which may
be thus translated : — 'and takes good care not to wet her fingers up
to the joints in broth, nor to have her lips anointed with soups, or
garlic, or fat flesh, nor to heap up too many or too large morsels and
put them in her mouth. She touches with the tips of her fingers the
morsel which she has to moisten with the sauce (be it green, or brown,
or yellow), and lifts her mouthful warily, so that no drop of the soup,
or relish or pepper may fall on her breast. And so daintily she
contrives to drink, as not to sprinkle a drop upon herself. . . she ought to
wipe her lip so well, as not to permit any grease to stay there, at least
upon her upper lip.* Such were the manners of the age. Cf. also
Ovid, Ars Amatoria, iii. 755, 756.
129. weite, wet ; pt. t. of wetten. depe, deeply, adv.
131. Scan— 'Thdt | no drop | e ne fill | e,' &;c. The e in drdpe is
very slight ; and the caesura follows. Fille is the pt. t. subjunctive, as
distinct from_/f/, the pt. t. indicative. It means ' should fail.'
132. ful, very, lest ^ list, pleasure, delight ; A. S. lyst.
133. over, upper, adj. 'The over lippe and the nethere' ; Wright's
Vocab. 1857, p. 146. dene (klae'na), cleanly, adv.
134. ferthing signifies literally a fourth part, and hence a small
portion, or a spot. InCaxton's Book of Curtesye, st. 27, such a spot
of grease is called a 'fatte ferthyng.'
sen-e, visible, is an adjective, A. S. gesene, and takes a final -e. This
distinguishes it from the pp. seen, which is monosyllabic, and cannot
rime with clen-e. The fuller form y-sen-e occurs in 1. 592, where it
rimes with len-e.
136. ' Full seemlily she reached towards her meat (i. e. what she had
to eat), and certainly she was of great merriment (or geniality).'
Mete is often used of eatables in general, raughte (rauhta), pt. t.
of rechen, to reach.
137. sikerJy, certainly, siker is an early adaptation of Lat. securtts,
secure, sure, disport ; mod. E. sport.
139-41. 'And took pains (endeavoured) to imitate courtly behaviour,
and to be stately in her deportment, and to be esteemed worthy of
reverence.'
144. sawe, should see, happened to see (subjunctive).
146. Of, i. e. some, houndes (huundez), dogs. * Smale whelpes
leeve to ladyse and clerkys ' ; Political, Relig. and Love Poems, ed.
Furnivall, p. 33 ; Bemardus de Cura Rei Familiaris, ed. Lumby, p. 13.
147. luastel-breed. Horses and dogs were not usually fed on wastel-
breed or cake-bread (bread made of the best flour), but on coarse
lentil bread baked for that purpose. See Our English Home, pp. 79, 80.
LI. 137-152-] THE PRIORESSE.
17
The O. F. was/el subsequently hGcame^as/e/,^i^as/eau, mod. Y.gdteau,
cake. Cf. P. Plowman, B. vi. 217, and the note ; Riley, Memorials of
London, p. 108.
148. The syllable she is here very light ; s/ic if oon constitutes the
third foot in the line. After she comes the caesural pause, iceef^ wept ;
A. S. we op.
149. vicn smoot, one smote. If men were the ordinary plural of
man, smoot ought to be sf/u'/cn (pi. past) ; but meft is here used like
the Ger. man, French 07i, with the singular verb. It is, in fact, merely
the unaccented form of man. yerde, stick, rod ; mod. "E.yard. smerfe,
sharply ; adv.
1.51. li'impcl. The liumple or gorger is stated first to have appeared
in Edward the First's reign. It was a covering for the neck, and
was used by nuns and elderly ladies. See Fairholt's Costume, 18S5,
ii. 413 ; Ancrcn Riwle, ed. Morton, p. 420.
pinched, gathered in small pleats, closely pleated.
* P>ut though I olde and horc be, sone myne,
And poore by my clothing and aray,
And not so wyde a gown have as is thyne.
So small ypynched and so gay,
My rede in happe yit the profit may.*
Hoccleve, De Rcgimine Principum, ed. Wright, p. 15.
152. iretys, long and well-shaped. From O. F. traitis. Low Lat.
tractitius, i. e. drawn out; from L. irahere. Chaucer found the O. F.
traitis in the Romaunt of the Rose, and translated it by tretys ; see
1. 1 2 16 of the E. version. Q{. fdis lxom.factitius\ 1. 157. eyen greye.
This seems to have been the favourite colour of ladies' eyes in Chaucer's
time, and even later. Cf. A. 3974 ; Rom. Rose, 546, S62 ; &c. * Her
eyen ^roy and stepe ' ; Skelton's Philip Sparowe, 1014 (see Dyce's
note).
'Her eyes are^m' as glass.' — Two Gent, of \'erona, iv. 4. 197.
' Hyr forheed lely-whyht,
Hyr bent browys blake, and hyr grey eyne,
Hyr chyry chekes, hyr nose streyt and r)'ht,
Hyr lyppys rody.' — Lives of Saints, Roxburgh Club, p. 14.
* Wyth eycne graye, and browes bent,
And yealwe traces \iresses\, and fayre y-trent,
Ech her semede of gold ;
Hure vysage was fair and tretys,
Hure body iantil and -^uxe fctys,
And semblych of stature.'— Sir Ferumbras, 1. 5881.
'Dame Gaynour, with \\ux gray een.^
Three Met. Romances, ed. Robson, p. 22.
*Hys eyen grey as crystalle stone'; — Sir Eglamour, 1. 861.
'Put out my eyen gray' ; — Sir Launfal, 1. 810,
* * *
i8 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a.
156. hardily is here used for sikerly, certainly ; so also in E. 25.
tmdergrowe, undergrown ; i. e. of short, stinted growth.
Ihl./etis literally signifies 'made artistically,' and hence well-
made, /m/, neat, handsome; cf. n. to 1. 152. M.IL. feiis answers to
O. F. faitis, fciiis, felts, neatly made, elegant ; from Lat. facii/ius,
artificial.
war, aware ; * I was ii>a?-^ = \ perceived.
159. bedes. The word bede signifies, (i) a prayer; (2) a string of
grains upon which the prayers were counted, or the grains themselves.
The beads were made of coral, jet, cornelian, pearls, or gold. A fiair
here means ' a set.' * A peire of bedis eke she bere ' ; Rom. Rose,
7372.
'Sumtyme with a portas, sumtymc with -x payrc of bcdcs}
Bale's King John, p. 27; Camden Soc.
gauded al with grcne, ' having the gaivdies green. Some were of
silver gilt.' — T. The gawdies or gaudees were the larger beads in the
set. * One payre of beads of silver with riche gaudeys ' ; Monast.
Anglicanum, viii. 1206 ; qu. by Rock, Church of our Fathers, iii. i. 403.
* Unum par de le// [jet] gaudyett with sylver ' ; Nottingham Records,
iii. 188. 'A peyre bedys of jeete \gel], gaudied with coral!'; Bury
Wills, p. 82, 1. 16 : the note says that every eleventh bead, or gau dee,
stood for a Paternoster : the smaller beads, each for an Ave Maria.
The common number was 55, for 50 Aves and 5 Paternosters. The
full number was 165, for 150 Aves and 15 Paternosters, also called
a Rosary or Our Lady's Psalter ; see the poem on Our Lady's
Psalter in Horstmann, Altenglische Legenden, Neue Folge, 1881,
pp. 220-4. ' Gaudye of beedes, signeau de pater7ioster' — Palsgrave.
Cower (Conf. Amant., ed. Pauli, iii. 372) mentions *A paire of bedes
blacke as sable,' with 'gaudees.' See Gaiidia and Precula in Du-
cange. Gaudee originally meant a prayer beginning with Gaiideie,
whence the name ; see Gaudez in Cotgrave.
160. broche— brooch, signified, (i) a pin; (2) a breast-pin; (3)
a buckle or clasp ; (4) a jewel or ornament. It was an ornament
common to both sexes. The brooch seems to have been made in the
shape of a capital A, surmounted by a crown. See the figure of
a silver-gilt brooch in the shape of an A in the Glossary to Fairholt's,
Costume in England. The ' crowned A ' is supposed to represent
Amor or Charity, ihc greatest of all the Christian graces. 'Omnia
uincit amor' ; Vergil, Eclog. x. 69. Cf. the use of AMOR as a motto
in the Squyer of Lowe Degree, 1. 215.
heng, also spelt heeng, hung, is the pt. t. of IVI. E. hangen, to hang.
Cf. A. S. haig, pt. t. of hoii, to hang.
she7ie (shee-na), showy, bright. Really allied, not to shine, but to
sheiv. Cf. mod. E. sheen, and G. schon.
161. write is short for wriien (wrifen), pp. of wryten (vvrii'ten),
to write.
LI. 156-166.] THE MONK. 19
The Wonne and Three Preestes.
163. Another Nonne. It was not common for Prioresses to have
female chaplains; but Littre gives chapelaine, fern., as an old title of
dignity in a nunnery. Moreover, it is an office still held in most
Benedictine convents, as is fully explained in a letter written by
a modern Nun-Chaplain, and printed in Anglia, iv. 238. See also N.
and O. 7 S. vi. 485 ; The Academy, Aug. 23, 1890, p. 152.
164. The mention of ///nv//7V.f/ J- presents some difficulty. To make
up the twenty-nine mentioned in 1. 24, we only want one priest, and
it is afterwards assumed that there was but one priest, viz. the Nonnes
Prcest, who tells the tale of the Cock and Fo.x. Chaucer also, in all
other cases, supposes that there was but one representative of each
class.
The most likely solution is that Chaucer wrote a character of the
Second Nun, beginning —
'Another Nonne with hir hadde she
That was hir chapeleyne ' —
and that, for some reason, he afterwards suppressed the description.
The line left imperfect, as above, may have been filled up, to stop
a gap, either by himself (temporarily), or indeed by some one else.
If we are to keep the text (which stands alike in all MSS.), we must
take ' wel nyne and twenty ' to mean ' at least nine and twenty.'
The letter from the Nun-Chaplain mentioned in the last note shews
that an Abbess might have as many 2.?, five priests, as well as a chaplain.
See Essays on Chaucer (Ch. Soc.), p. 183. The difficulty is, merely,
how to reconcile this line with 1. 24.
The Monk,
165. a fair, i. e, a fair one, Cf. ' a merye ' in 1. 208 ; and 1. 339.
for the maistrye is equivalent to the French phrase /<?7^/- Ai maisirie,
which in old medical books is 'applied to such medicines as we usually
call sovereign, excellent above all others' ; Tyrwhitt. We may explain
it by 'as regards superiority,' or, 'to shew his excellence.' Cf. 'An
stede he gan aprikie • wcl vor the ntaistrie'' ; Rob. of Glouc. 1. 1 1554
(or ed. Hearne, p. 553).
In the Romance of Sir Launfal, ed. Ritson, 1. 957, is a description
of a saddle, adorned with 'twey stones of Ynde Gay/^r the viaystrye';
i.e. preeminently gay.
Several characteristics of various orders of monks are satirically
noted in Wright's Political Songs, pp. 137-148.
166. out-7ydere, outrider; formerly the name of an officer of
a monastery or abbey, whose duty was to look after the manors
belonging to it ; or, as Chaucer himself explains it, in B. 1255—
'an officere out for to ryde
To seen hir graunges and hir hemes wyde.
c 2
20 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a.
In the Visitations of the Diocese of Norwich, 1492-1532, ed. Jessop
(Camden Soc), pp. 214, 279, the word occurs twice, as the name of
an officer of the Abbey of St. IJenet's, Huhne; e.g. ' Dompnus
Willehnus Hornyng, oute-rider, dicit quod multa edificia et orrea
maneriorum sunt prostrata et coUapsa praesertim violentia venti hoc
anno.'
The Lat. name for this ofificer was exeqnifator, as appears from
Wyclif, .Sermones, iii. 326 (Wychf Soc). I am indebted for these
references and for the explanation of out-rydere to Mr. Tancock ; see
his note in N. and Q. 7 S. vi. 425. The same vol. of Visitations also
shews that, in the same abbey, another monk, * Thomas Stonham
tertius prior' was devoted to hunting; 'communis vcnator . . . solet
exire solus ad venatum mane in aurora.' There is also a complaint of
the great number of dogs kept there — * superfluus numerus canum est
in domo.' In the Rolls of Parliament (1406), vol. iii. p. 598, the sheriffs
collect payments for the repair of roads and bridges ' par lour Ministres
appeJIez Outryders'; N. and Q. 8 S. ii. 39. Note that this fully
explains the use o{ otiiryders in P. Plowman, C. v. 116.
veneryi-, hunting; cf. A. 2308. 'The monks of the middle ages
were extremely attached to hunting and field-sports ; and this was
a frequent subject of complaint with the more austere ecclesiastics,
and of satire with the laity.'— Wright. See Strutt's Sports and
Pastimes, bk. i. c. i. §§ 9, 10 ; Our Eng. Home, p. 23. From Lat.
uenari, to hunt.
168. deyniee, dainty, i.e. precious, valuable, rare; orig. a sb., viz.
O. F. dein/ee, dignity, from Lat. ace. dignitatem. Cf. 1. 346.
170. Gifiglen, jingle. (The line is deficient in the first foot.)
Fashionable riders were in the habit of hanging small bells on the
bridles and harness of their horses. Wyclif speaks of 'a worldly
preest . . in pompe and pride, coveitise and envye . . with fatte hors,
and jolye and gaye sadeles, and bridelis ryngynge be the weye, and
himself in costy clothes and pelure' [fur] ; Works, ed. Arnold, iii. 519,
520.
In Richard Cuer de Lion, 1. 1 517, we read of a mounted messenger,
with silk trappings —
'With fyve hundred belles ryngande.'
And again, at 1. 5712—
'His crouper heeng al full off belles.'
' Vincent of Beauvais, speaking of the Knights Templars, and their
gorgeous horse-caparisons, says they have — in pectoralibus campanulas
infixas magnum emittentes sonitum ' ; Hist. lib. xxx. c. 85 (cited by
Wafton, Hist. E. P. i. 167). See B. 3984 ; and Spenser, F. Q. i. 2. 13 ;
also Englische Studien, iii. 105.
172, 77/^r«j= where that, /v/^r, principal, head, i.e. prior, ccl/e,
cell; a 'cell' was a small monastery or nunner)', dependent on
a larger one. ' Celle, a religious house, subordinate to some great
L1.I68-I77-1 THE MONK. 21
abby. Of these cells some were altogether subject to their respective
abbics, who appointed their officers, and received their revenues ;
while others consisted of a stated number of monks, who had a prior
sent them from the abby, and who paid an annual pension as- an
acknowledgment of their subjection ; but, in other matters, acted as
an independent body, and received the rest of their revenues for their
own use. These priories or cells were of the same order with the
abbies on whom they depended. See Tanner, Pref. Not. Monast.
p. xxvii.' — Todd, Illustrations of Chaucer, p. 326. Cf. note to 1. 670,
and especially the note to D. 2259.
173. The reule (rule) of scint Maure (St. Maur) and that of seint
Bencit (St. Benet or Benedict) were the oldest forms of monastic
discipline in the Romish Church. St. Maur (Jan. 15) was a disciple
of St. Benet (Dec. 4), who founded the Benedictine order, and died
about A.D. 542.
174. Note that streit, mod. E. strait, A. F. cstreit, from Lat. strictus,
is quite distinct from mod. E. straight, of A. S. origin.
175. The Harl. MS. reads, 'This ilke monk leet forby hem pace'
{error for leet hem forby him pace ?l, ' This same monk let them pass
by him unobserved.' hem refers to the rules of St. Maur and St. Benet,
which were too streit (strict) for this ' lord ' or superior of the house,
who preferred a milder sort of discipline. Forby is still used in Scot-
land for by or fast, pace, pass by, remain in abeyance ; cf. pace, pass
on, proceed, in 1. 36. hem, them ; originally dat. pi. of he.
176. space, course (Lat. spatium); 'and held his course in con-
formity with the new order of things.'
177. yaf not of gave not for, valued not. yaf is the pt. t. oi yeven
or yiven, to give.
a pulled hen, lit. a plucked hen; hence, the value of a hen without
its feathers ; see 1. 652. In D. 11 12, the phrase is 'not worth a hen^
Tyrwhitt says, 'I do not see much force in the epithet /«//^^'; but
adds, in his Glossary — ' I have been told since, that a hen whose
feathers are pulled, or plucked off, will not lay any eggs.' Becon
speaks of a ' polled hen,' i. e. pulled hen, as one unable to fly ; Works,
p. 533; Parker Soc. It is only one of the numerous old phrases for
expressing that a thing is of small value. See 1. 182. I may add
that pulled, in the sense of ' plucked off the feathers,' occurs in the
Manciple's Tale ; H. 304. And see Troil. v. 1546.
text, remark in writing ; the word was used of any written statement
that was frequently quoted. The allusion is to the legend of Nimrod,
'the mighty hunter' (Gen. x. 9), which described him as a very bad
man. ' Mikel he cuth [much he knew] o sin and scham'; Cursor
Mundi, 1. 2202. It was he (it was said) who built the tower of Babel,
and introduced idolatry and fire-worship. , All this has ceased to be
familiar, and the allusion has lost its point. ' We enjoin that a priest
be not a hunter, nor a hawker, nor a dicer ' ; Canons of King Edgar,
translated ; no. 64. See my note to P. Plowman, C. vi. 157.
22 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a.
179. rccchelees (in MS. E.) means careless, regardless of rule ; but
*a careless monk' is not necessarily ' a monk out of his cloister.' But
the reading cloisierless (in MS. Had.) solves the difficulty; being
a coined 7i>ord, Chaucer goes on to explain it in 1. iSi. See the
quotation from Jehan de Mcung in the next note.
179-81. This passage, says Tyrwhitt, 'is attributed by Gratian
{Decretal. P. ii. Cau. xvi. q. 1. c. viii.) to a pope Eugenius : Sictit piscis
sine aqua caret vita, ita sine vionastej-io tnonaciiits.^ Join\-ille saj-s,
'The Scriptures do say that a monk cannot live out of his cloister
without falling into deadly sins, any more than a fish can live out
of water without dying.' Cf. Piers Plowman, B. x. 292 ; and my note.
Wyclif (Works, ed. Matthew), p. 449, has a similar remark:—' For,
as they seyn that groundiden [founded] these cloystris, thes men
myghten no more dwclle out ther-of than fizs myghte dwelle out
of water, for vertu that they han ther-ynne.' The simile is very old ;
in The Academy, Nov. 29, 1 890, Prof. Albert Cook traced it back to
Sozomen, Eccl. Hist. bk. i. c. 13 (Migne, Patr. Graec. 67. 898J : — rovi
fiiP yap l)(6\jas 'fKcye rqv vypav oxxriav rpecfifiv, piOva)(o1i 8e Koapov (f)(p(iv
Ti]v fprjpov. enicrrjs re tovs p€v ^rjpas awroptvovs to ^ijv aTToKipnavdv, tovs
8( rrjv povaaTiKijv (xepvorriTn inroWvfiv to7s aarfai npocruwrui. And in
The Academy, Dec. 6, 1890, Mr. H. Ellcrshaw, of Durham, shewed
that it occurs still earlier, in the Life of St. Anthony (c. 85) attributed
to St. Athanasius, not later than A. D. 373: — coanep ot l^Ovts iyxpovl-
(oiTes Tfi ^rjpa yjj nXevroxTLU' ovtcos 01 pova;(o). ^pahiiuovrts pfd' vpwp kuI
nap iiplv €VStarpi/3oi^€S t'/cXOorrac.
Moreover, the poet was thinking of a passage in Le Testament de
Jehan de Meung, ed. Mdon, 1. 1166 : —
* Qui les voldra trover, si les quiere en leur cloistre . . ,
Car ne prisent le munde la montance d'une oistre.'
i. e. ' whoever would find them, let him seek them in their cloister ; for
they do not prize the world at the value of an oyster.' Chaucer turns
this passage just the other way about.
182. text, remark, saying (as above, in 1. 177), /leld, esteemed.
183. 'And /said.' This is a very realistic touch; as if Chaucer
had been talking to the monk, obtaining his opinions, and professing
to agree with them.
184. IV/iat has here its earliest sense of wherefore, or why.
wood, mad, foolish, is frequently employed by Spenser ; A. S. wod.
186. swinken, to toil; whence '■ swi7tked hedger,' used by Milton
(Comus, 1. 293). But swinken is, properly, a strong verb ; A. S. swin-
can, pt. t. swanc, pp. swuticen. Hence swittk, s., toil ; 1. 188.
187. bit, the 3rd pers. sing. pres. of bidden, to command. So also
rit, rideth, A. 974, 981 ',fynt, findeth, A. 4071 ; rist, riseth, A. 4193 ;
sta?it, standeth, B. 618 ; sit, sitteth, D. 1657 ; sinit, smiteth, E. 122;
hit, hideth, F. 512.
187, 188. Austin, St. Augustine. The reference is to St. Augustine
LI. 179-aoo.] THE MONK. 23
of Hippo, after whom the Augustinian Canons were named. Their
rule was compiled from his writings. Thus we read that ' bothe monks
and chanouns forsaken the reules of Benet and Austyn ' ; Wyciif s
Works, ed. Arnold, iii. 511. And again — ' Seynt Austyn techith
munkis to labore with here hondis, and so doth seint Benet and seynt
Bernard'; Wyclifs Works, ed. IVIatthew, p. 51. See Cutts, Scenes
and Characters, &c. ; ch. ii. and ch. iii.
189. a pricasour, a hard rider, priking, hard riding (1. 191).
190. Cf, 'Also fast so the fowl in flyght' ; Ywaine and Gawin, 630.
192. /or no cost, for no expense. Dr. Morris explains/(?r «<? cost by
' for no reason,' and certainly M.E. cost sometimes has such a force ;
but see 11. 213, 799, where it clearly means ' e.xpense.'
193. scigh, saw ; A. S. seah, pt. t. oi scon, to see.
piirjiled, edged with fur. The M. E./z^/yf/ signifies the embroidered
or furred hem of a gannent, so that ffurjilc is to work upon the edge.
Ptirfilcd has also a more extended meaning, and is applied to garments
overlaid with gems or other ornaments. * Pourfiler cTor, to purjle,
tinsell, or overcast with gold thread,' &c. : Cotgrave. Spenser uses
purjlcd in the Fairy Oueene, i. 2. 13 ; ii. 3. 26. Cf. note to P. Plowman,
C. iii. 10.
194. grys, a sort of costly grey fur, formerly very much esteemed ;
O. Y. gris, Rom. de la Rose, 91 21, 9307 ; Sir Tristrem, 1. 1381. 'The
grey is the back-fur of the northern squirrel ' ; L. Gautier, Chivalry
(Eng. tr.), p. 323. Such a dress as is here described must have been
very expensive. In 1231 (Close Roll, 16 Hen. 111.), king Henry III.
had a skirt {tupa) of scarlet, furred with red gris. See Gloss, to Liber
Custumarum, ed. Riley, s. \\ griseuin, p. 806.
In Lydgate's Dance of Macabre, the Cardinal is made to regret —
' That I shal never hereafter clothed be
In grisc nor ermine, like unto viy degree!
The Council of London (1342) reproaches the religious orders with
wearing clothing 'fit rather for knights than for clerks, that is to say,
short, very tight, with excessively wide sleeves, not reaching the elbows,
but hanging down very low, lined with fur or with silk'; see J. Jusse-
rand, English Wayfaring Life (1889). Cf. Wyciif, Works, ed. Matthew,
p. 121.
' This worshipful man, this dene, came rj'dynge into a good paryssh
with a X. or xii. horses lyke a prelate' ; Caxton, Fables of ^Esop, (S:c. ;
last fable ; cf. 1. 204 below.
196. ' He had an elaborate brooch, made of gold, with a love-knot
in the larger end.' love-knotte, a complicated twist, with loops.
198. balled, bald. See Specimens of Early English, ii. 15. 408.
199. anoint, anointed ; O. F. enoint, Lat. inioictus.
200. in good point, in good case, imitated from the O. F. cfi bon point.
Cotgra\e has : ' En bon poind, ou, bien en poind, handsome : faire,
fat, well liking, in good taking.'
24 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group A.
201. stepe^ E. E. stcap^ docs not here mean siaiken, but bright^
burning, fiery. Mr, Cockayne has illustrated the use of this word in his
Seinte Marherete, pp.9, 108 : ' His twa ehnen [semden] sicapprc j^ene
steorrcn,' his two eyes seemed brighter than stars. So also : ' schininde
and schenre,of jimstanes steapre then is eni steorre,' shining and clearer,
brighter with gems than is any star; St. Katherine, 1. 1647. The ex-
pression * eyen gray and stept',' i. e. bright, has already been quoted in
the note to 1. 152. So also * Eyyen stepe and graye ' ; King of Tars,
1. 15 (in Ritson, Met. Rom. ii. 157) ; and again, ' thair een steep ' ; Pal-
ladius on Husbandry, bk. iv. 1. 800. Cf. stoned in the next line;
and see 1. 753.
202. stemedas aforneys of a leed, shone like the fire under a cauldron.
Here stemed is related to the M. 'E.stem, a bright light, used in Have-
lok, 591. Cf. ' two steviyng eyes,' two bright eyes ; Sir T. Wiat, Sat.
i. 53. That refers to eyai^ not to heed.
A kitchen-copper is still sometimes called a iead. As to the word leed,
which is the same as the modern E. tead (the metal), Mr. Stevenson,
in his edition of the Nottingham Records, iii. 493, observes — ' That
these vessels were really made of /ead we have ample evidence ' ; and
refers us to the Laws of /Ethelstdn, iv. 7 (Schmid, Anhang, xvi. § i) ; See.
He adds — 'The /ead was frequently fixed, like a modern domestic
copper, over a grate. The grate and flue were known as a furnace.
Hence the frequent expression — a lead in furnace.^ See also led in
Havel ok, 1. 924 ; and lead in Tusser's Husbandrie, E. D. S.
203. botes soitple, boots pliable, soft, and close-fitting.
' This is part of the description of a smart abbot, by an anonymous
writer of the thirteenth century : " Ocreas habebat in cruribus quasi
innatae essent, sine plica porrectas." — MS. Bodley, James, no. 6.
p. 121.' — T. See Rom. of the Rose, 2265-70 (vol. i. p. 173).
205. for-pyned, 'tormented,' and hence 'wasted away '; from pine.
The for- is intensive, as in Eng. forswear.
The Frere.
208. Frere, friar. The four orders of mendicant friars mentioned in
\. 210 were:— (l) The Dominicans, or friars-preachers, who took up
their abode in Oxford in 1221, known as the Black Friars. (2) The
Franciscans, founded by St. Francis of Assisi in 1 209, and known by the
name of Grey Friars. They made their first appearance in England in
1224. (3) The Carmelites, or White Friars. (4) The Augustin (or
Austin) Friars. The friar was popular with the mercantile classes on
account of his varied attainments and experience. 'Who else so welcome
at the houses of men to whom scientific skill and information, scanty as
they might be, were yet of no inconsiderable service and attraction. He
alone of learned and unlearned possessed some knowledge of foreign
countries and their productions ; he alone was acquainted with the
composition and decomposition of bodies, with the art of distillation,
LL2oi-2ia.] THE FRERE. 25
with the construction of machinery, and with the use of the laboratory.'
See Professor Brewer's Preface to Monumenta P'ranciscana, p. xlv ;
and, in particuhxr, the poem called * Pierce the Ploughman's Credc,'
and the satirical piece against the Friars entitled Jack Upland, formerly
printed with Chaucer's Works. Several pieces against them will also
be found in Political Poems, ed. Wright (Record Series) ; and there
are numerous outspoken attacks upon them in Wyclifs various works,
as, e.g. in the Select Eng. Works, ed. Arnold, iii, 366, and in his
Works, ed. Matthew, p. 47. See also the chapter on Friars in the E.
translation of Jusserand, Eng. Wayfaring Life; p. 293.
Many of the remarks concerning the Frere are ultimately due to Le
Roman de la Rose. See The Romaunt of the Rose, 11. 6161-7698 ; in
vol. i. pp. 234-259.
watitown, sometimes written luantoiveii^ literally signifies untrained,
and hence wild, brisk, lively, ivan- is a common M.E. prefix,
equivalent to our ten- or dis-, as in zvanhopCy despair ; towcn or iotun
occurs in M. E. writers for well-behaved, well-taught ; from A. S. togen,
pp. of teotiy to educate.
tiierye, pleasant ; cf. M. E. mery tuether, pleasant weather.
209. liuiitoiir was a begging friar to whom was assigned a certain
district or limit, within which he was permitted to solicit alms ; it was
also his business to solicit persons to purchase a partnership, or
brotherhood, in the merits of their conventual services. See Tyndale's
Works, i. 212 (Parker Soc.) ; and note to P. Plowman, B. v. 138.
Hence in later times the verb liinit signifies to beg.
' Ther walketh now the Hiiiitour himself,
In undermeles and in morweninges ;
And seyth his matins and his holy thing^es
As he goth in his limitacioun.^
Wife of Bath's Tale ; D. 874.
210. ordres/oure, four orders (note to 1. 208;. can, i.e. 'knows.'
211. daliau7ice and fair langagc, <gQ'ss\^ and flattery, daliauncem
M. E. signifies ' tittle-tattle ' or ' gossip.' The verb dally signifies not
only to loiter or idle, but to play, sport. Godefroy gives O. F. ' dallier,
v. a., raillcr.'
212. ' He had, at his own expense, well married many young
women.' This is less generous than might appear ; for it almost
certainly refers to young women who had been his concubines. As
Dr. Fumivall remarks in his Temporary Preface, p. 118 — ' the true ex-
planation lies in the following extract from a letter of Dr. Layton to
Cromwell, in 1535 A. D., in Mr. Thos. Wright's edition of Letters on the
Suppression of the Monasteries (Camden Soc), p. 58 : [At Maiden
Bradley, near Bristol] "is an holy father prior, and hath but vj. chil-
dren, and but one dowghter mariede yet of the goodes of the monasterie,
trystyng shortly to mary the reste. His sones be tall men, waittyng
upon him ; and he thankes Gode a never medelet with maiytt women,
26 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a.
but all with madens, the faireste cowlde be gottyn, and always marede
them ryght ivell." '
214. post, pillar or support, as in Troil. i. looo. See Gal. ii. 9.
216. fnmkeleyns, wealthy farmers ; see 1. 331. over-al, everywhere.
217. wf;7/y, probably ' wealthy '; or else, ' respectable.' Cf. 1. 68.
219. The word vi6r-e occupies the fourth foot in the line ; cf. n. to
1. 320. It is an adj., with the sense of greater.*
220. Ucenliat. He had a licence from the Pope 'to hear confes-
sions, &c., in all places, independently of the local ordinaries.' — T.
The curate, or parish priest, could not grant absolution in all cases,
some of which were reserved for the bishop's decision. See Wyclifs
Works, ed. Arnold, iii. 394.
224. wisie to Iian, knew (he was sure) to have.
pitaunce here signifies a mess of victuals. It originally signified an
extraordinary allowance of victuals given to monastics, in addition to
their usual commons, and was afterwards applied to the whole allow-
ance of food for a single person, or to a small portion of anything.
225. 'For the giving (of gifts) to a poor order.' povre, O. Y. povre,
poor; zl. pover-ty. Stcpov-re in 1. 232.
226. y-shrive =--■ y-shrivcn, confessed, shriven. The final n is
dropped ; cf. imknoiue for nnknoivcn in 1. 126.
227. he dorste, he durst make (it his) boast, i. e. confidently assert.
avatint, a boast, is from the O. F. vb. avanter, to boast, an intensive
form oi 7'anter, whence E. vaunt.
230. he may not, he is not able to. him sore smerte, it may pain
him, or grieve him, sorely.
232. Moi moot, one ought to. Here moot is singular ; cf. 1. 149.
233. tipct, a loose hood, which seems to have been used as a pocket.
* When the Order [of Franciscans] degenerated, the friar combined
with the spiritual functions the occupation of pedlar, huxter, mounte-
bank, and quack doctor.' (Brewer.) 'Thei [the friars] becomen
pedderis [pedlars], berynge knyues, pursis, pynnys, and girdlis, and
spices, and sylk, and precious pellure and forrouris \sorts 0/ fur^ for
wymmen, and therto smale gentil hondis [dogs'\, to gete love of hem,
and to haue many grete yiftis for litil good or nought.' — Wyclifs Works,
ed. Matthew, p. 12. As to the tipct, cf. notes to 11. 682, 3953.
In an old poem printed in Brewer's Monumenta Franciscana, we
have the following allusion to the dealings of the friar : —
* For thai have noght to lyve by, they wandren here and there,
And dele with dyvers marche, right as thai pedlers were;
Thei dele with pynnes and knyves.
With gyrdles, gloves for wenches and wyves,
Ther thai are haunted till.'
In a poem in MS. Camb., Ff. i. 6, fol. 156, it is explained that the
limitour craftily gives ' pynnys, gerdyllis, and knyeffis ' to wommen,
in order to receive better things in return. He could get knives for
LI. 314-253.] THE FRERE. 27
less than a penny a-plece. Cf. ' De j. doss, cultellorum diet, peny-
ware. xd. ' ; York Wills, iii. 96.
Women used to wear knives sheathed and suspended from their
girdles ; such knives were often gi\en to a bride. See the chapter on
Bride-kiiivcs in Brand's Popular Antiquities.
farsed, stuffed ; from Y.farcir. Cf. Y.. farce.
236. rote is a kind of fiddle or 'crowd,' not a hurdy-gurdy, as it is
explained by Ritson, and in the glossary^ to Sir Tristrem. Cf. Spenser,
F. Q. ii. 10. 3 ; iv. 9. 6 ; Sir Degrcvant, 1. 37 (see Halliwell's note, at
p. 289 of the Thornton Romances). See my Etym. Dictionary.
237. yeddinges, songs embodying some popular tales or romances.
In Sir Degrevant, 1. 1421, we are told that a lady 'song yeddyngus,'
i.e. sang songs. For singing such songs, he was in the highest
estimation. From A. ^. geddian, to sing. Cf. P. Plowman, A. i. 138 : —
*Ther thou art murie at thy mete, whon me biddeth Xh&yedde.'
prys answers both to E. prize and price ; cf. 1. 67.
239. chaiiipioun, champion ; i.e. a professional fighter in judicial
lists. Cf. P. Plowman, C. xxi. 104; and see Britton, liv. i. ch. 23.
§15.
241. iappestere, a female tapster. In olden times the retailers of
beer, and for the most part the brewers also, appear to have been
females. The -stere or -ster as a feminine affix (though in the four-
teenth century it is not always or regularly used as such) occurs in
M. E. breivstercy lucbbesiere, Eng. spiiister. In huckster, maltster,
songster, this affix has acquired the meaning of an agent ; and in
youngster, gamester, punster, iS:c., it implies contempt. See Skeat,
Principles of Etymology, pt. i. § 238. Cf. bcggestere, female beggar, 242.
242. Bet, better, adv. ; as distinguished from bettre, adj. (1. 524).
lazar, a leper ; from Lazarus, in the parable of Dives and Lazarus ;
hence lazaretto, a hospital for lepers, a lazar-house.
244. ' It was unsuitable, considering his ability.'
246. ' It is not becoming, it may not advance (profit) to deal with
(associate with) any such poor people.' Cf. Rom. of the Rose, 6455,
6462 ; and note to P. Plowman, C. xiii. 21.
247. The line is imperfect in the first foot.
poraille, rabble of poor people ; from O. Y. povre, poor.
248. riche, i. e. rich people.
249. 250. ' And ever>'\vhere, wherever profit was likely to accrue,
courteous he was, and humble in offering his ser\'ices.'
251. vertuous, (probabl)-) energetic, efficient; cf. vertu in 1. 4.
252, 253. Between these two lines the Hengwrt MS. inserts the two
lines marked 252 b and 252 c, which are omitted in the other MSS.,
though they certainly appear to be genuine, and are found in all the
black-letter editions, which follow Thynne. In the Six-text edition,
which is here followed, they are not counted in. Tyrwhitt both inserts
and numbers them ; hence a slight difference in the methods of
numbering the lines after this line. Tyrwhitt's numbering is given,
28 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [GronpA.
at every tenth line, within marks of parenthesis, for convenience of
reference. The sense is— 'And gave a certain annual payment for the
grant (to be licensed to beg ; in consequence of which) none of his
brethren came with his limit.'
ferme is the mod. H.farm ; cf. * io farm revenues.'
253. sho, shoe ; not sou (as has been suggested), which would (in
fact) give a false rime. So also ' worth his olde sho ' ; D. 708.
The friars were not above receiving even the smallest articles ; and
fcrthing, in 1. 255, may be explained by ' small article,' of a farthing's
value. See 1. 134.
' For had a man slayn al his kynne,
Go shr^'ve him at a frere ;
And for lasse then a payre of shone
He wyl assoil him clene and sone I '
Polit. Poems, ed. Wright ; i. 266.
' Ever be giving of somewhat, though it be but a cheese, or a piece
of bacon, to the holy order of sweet St. Francis, or to any other of my
[i. e. Antichrist's] friars, monks, canons, &c. Holy Church refuseth
nothing, but gladly taketh whatsoever cometh.' — Becon's Acts of
Christ and of Antichrist, vol. iii. p. 531 (Parker Society). And see
the Somp. Tale, D. 1 746-1 751.
254. In principio. The reference is to the text in John i. I, as
proved by a passage from Tyndale (Works, ed. 1572, p. 271, col. 2 ;
or iii. 61, Parker Soc.) :— 'Such is the limiter's saying of In principio
erat verbum, from house to house.' Sir Walter Scott copies this
phrase in The Fair Maid of Perth, ch. iii. The friars constantly
quoted this text.
256. ^«n7/rtj = proceeds of his begging. What he acquired in this
way was greater than his rent or income. ' Purchase, . . any method
of acquiring an estate otherwise than by descent ' ; Blackstone,
Comment. I. iii. For ren/e, see 1. 373.
We find also : * My purchas is theffect of al my rente' ; D. 1451.
' To winne is alway myn entent,
My purchas is better than my rent.^
Romaunt of the Rose, 1. 6837 ;
where the F. original has (1. 11760)— 'Miex vaut mes porchas que
ma rente.'
257. as it were right (E. Hn. &c.) ; and pi eye as (HI.). The sense
is — ' and he could romp about, exactly as if he were a puppy-dog.'
258. love-dayes. ' Love-days {dies amoris) were days fixed for
settling differences by umpire, without having recourse to law or
violence. The ecclesiastics seem generally to have had the principal
share in the management of these transactions, which, throughout the
Vision of Piers Ploughman, appear to be censured as the means of
hindering justice and of enriching the clerg)'.' — Wright's Vision of Piers
Ploughman, vol. ii. p. 535.
LI. 253-276.] THE MARCHANT. 29
'Ac now is Religion a rydere, and a rennere aboute,
A iedere of love-dayes^ &c.
Piers Ploughman, A. xi. 20S, ed. Skeat ; see also note to P. PI. ed.
Skeat, B. iii. 157. The sense is — 'he could give much help on love-
days (by acting as umpire).' See II. 259-261.
As to loveday, see Wyclif, Works, ed. Matthew, pp. 172, 234, 512 ;
and the same, Works, ed. Arnold, ii. "]"] ; iii. 322 ; Paston Letters, ed.
Gairdner, i. 496; Titus Andronicus, i. i. 491. In the Testament of
Love, bk. i. (ed. 1561, fol. 287, col. 2) we find— 'What (quod she) . . .
maked I not a louedaie betwene God and mankind, and chese a maide
to be nompere \tiinpire\ to put the quarell at ende ? '
2G0. cope, a priest's vestment ; a cloak forming a semicircle when
laid flat ; the semi-cope (1. 262) was a short cloak or cape. Cf. Pierce
the Ploughman's Crede, 11. 227, 22S : —
'His cope that biclypped him, wel clene was it folden.
Of dotible-zvorsiedc y-dyght, doun to the hele.'
This line is a little awkward to scan. With a ///r^</- constitutes the
first foot ; ^Vidi povrc \% povr' (cp. mod. Y . pauvre).
2G1. 'The kyng or the emperour myghtte with worschipe were
a garnement of a frere for goodnesse of the cloth' ; WyclifsWorks,
ed. Matthew, p. 50.
2G3. rounded, assumed a round form ; used intransitively, presse,
the mould in which a bell is cast ; cf. 1. 81.
2G4. lipsed, lisped ; by metathesis of s and p. See footnote to 1. 273.
for his wanio^cnesse, by way of mannerism.
The Marcliant.
270. a forked herd. In the time of Edward III. forked beards were
the fashion among the franklins and bourgeoisie, according to the
English custom before the Conquest. See Fairholt's Costume in
England, fig. 30.
271. In mottelee, in a motley dress ; cf 1. 32S.
273. clasped; fastened with a clasp fairly and neatly. See 1. 124.
274. resons, opinions, fill solenipnely, with much importance.
275. 'Always conducing to the increase of his profit.' souninge,
sounding like, conducing to ; cf. 1. 307. Compare—' thei chargen
more [care more for] a litil thing that soiuneth to wynnyng of hem, than
a myche more [greater] thing that sowneth to worchip of God ' ;
Wyclif, Works, ed. Arnold, ii. 383. ' These indulgencis . . . done
mykel harme to Cristen soulis, and soiunen erroure ageynes the gospel ' ;
id., iii. 459. Cf. Chaucer's Doctour's Tale, C. 54; also P. Plowman,
C. vii. 59, X. 216, xii. 79, xxii. 455. The M. E. sb. soicn is from F. son,
Lat. ace. somim.
276. were kept, should be guarded ; so that he should not suffer from
30 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group A.
pirates or privateers, ' The old subsidy of tonnage and poundage was
given to the king for the safeguard and custody of the sea 12. Edvv.
IV. c. 3.'— T.
'The see wel kept^ it must be don for drede.'
A Libell of English Policie, 1. 1083.
In 1360, a commission was granted to John Gibone to proceed, with
certain ships of the Cinque Ports, to free the sea from pirates and
others, the enemies of the king ; Appendix E. to Rymer's Focdera,
p. 50.
for any thing, i.e. for any sake, at any cost. The A. S. thing is
often used in the sense of ' sake,' ' cause,' or ' reason.' For in Chaucer
also means * against,' or ' to prevent,' but not (I think) here.
277. Middelbtirgh and Orcwellc. ^ Middclburgh is still a well-
known port of the island of Walcheren, in the Netherlands, almost
immediately opposite Harwich, beside which are the estuaries of the
rivers Stoure and Orwell. This spot was formerly known as the port
of Orwell or Orei.uelle^ — Saunders, p. 229.
This mention of Middelburgh 'proves that the Prologue must hav^e
been written not before 1384, and not later than 1388. lu the year
1384 the wool-staple was removed from Calais and established at
Middelburgh; in 1388 it was fixed once more at Calais; see Craik's
Hist, of Brit. Commerce, i. 123.' — Hales, Folia Literaria, p. 100. This
note has a special importance.
278. ' He well knew how to make a profit by the exchange of his
crowns ' in the different money-markets of Europe. Sheeldes are
crowns (O. F. escuz, F. cais), named from their having on one side the
figure of a shield. They were valued at half a noble, or 3^. ^d. ;
Appendix E. to Rymer's Foedera, p. 55. See B. 1521.
279. his wit bisette, employed his knowledge to the best advantage.
bisetie = used, employed. Cf. Piers Plowman, ed. Skeat, B. v. 297 : —
' And if thow wite (know) nevere to whiche, ne whom to restitue
[the goods gotten wrongfully]
Bere it to the bisschop, and bidde hym, of his grace,
Bisette it hymselue, as best is for thi soule.'
281, 282. * So ceremoniously (or, with such lofty bearing) did he
order his bargains and agreements for borrowing money.' A che-
visaunce was an agreement for borrowing money on credit ; cf. B.
1 5 19; also P. Plowman, B. v. 249, and the note. From F. chevir,
to accomplish ; cf. E. achieve.
284. noot = ?ie + wool, know not ; so 7iiste = ne + wiste, knew not.
The Clerk.
285. Clerk, a university student, a scholar preparing for the priest-
hood. It also signifies a man of learning, a man in holy orders. See
LI. 5177-315] THE MAN OF LAWE. 31
Anstcy's Munimenta Academica for much interesting information on
early Oxford life and studies.
Oxen/ord, Oxford, as if ' the ford of the oxen ' (A. S. Oxnaford} ;
and it has not been proved that this etymology is wrong.
y-go, gone, betaken himself.
287. Hence 'Leane as a rake' in Skelton, Philip Sparovve, 1. 913 ;
'A villaine, leane as any rake, appeares' ; W. Browne, Brit. Past,
bk. ii. song I.
290. 'His uppermost short cloak (of coarse cloth).' The syllable
-py answers to 'Dn. pije, a coarse cloth ; cf Goth, paida, a coat. Cf.
E. pea-']s.ckc{. See D. 1382 ; P. Plowman, B. vi. 191 ; Rom. Rose,
220.
292. 'Nor was he so worldly as to take a (secular) office.' Many
clerks undertook legal employments ; P. Plowman, B. pro). 95.
293. ' For it was dearer to him to have,' i. e. he would rather have.
lever is the comparative of M. E. leef, A. S. h'of, lief, dear.
294. The first foot is defective: Twenjty bojkes, &c.
296. In the Milleres Tale, Chaucer describes a clerk of a very oppo-
site character, who loved dissipation and played upon a * sautrye ' or
psaltery. See A. 3200-20.
fithel is the mod. E. Jiddle. sautrye is an O. F. spelling of our
psaltery.
297. philosophre is used in a double sense ; it sometimes meant an
alchemist, as in G. 1427. The clerk knew philosophy, but he was no
alchemist, and so had but little gold.
298. Hadde, possessed ; as hadde is here emphatic, the final e is not
elided. So also in 1. 386.
301. Chaucer often imitates his own lines. He here imitates Troil.
iv. 1 174—' And pitously gan for the soule preye.' gan, did.
302. yaf Jam, ' gave him (money) wherewith to attend school.* An
allusion to the common practice, at this period, of poor scholars in the
Universities, who wandered about the country begging, to raise money
to support them in their studies. Luther underwent a similar experience.
Cf. P. Plowman, B. vii. 31 ; also Ploughman's Crede, ed. Skeat, p. 71.
305. 'With propriety (due form) and modesty.'
307. Souninge in, conducing to ; cf. note to 1. 275 above.
The Man of Lawe.
309, war, wary, cautions ; A. S. ^ccsr, aware. Cf. 1. 157.
310. at the parzys, at the c/iurch-porch, or portico of St. Paul's,
where the lawyers were wont to meet for consultation. See Ducange,
s. V, paradisus, which is the Latin form whence the O. F, parvis is
derived. Also the note in Warton, Hist. E. Poet., ed. 1840, ii. 212 ;
cf. Anglia, viii. 453. And see Rom. of the Rose. 7108, and the note.
315. pleyn, full ; F. plein, Lat. ace. plenum. Cf. pleytt, fully, in
1. 327.
32 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a.
320. purchasing; conveyancing ; infect, invalid. * The learned Ser-
geant was clever enough to untie any entail, and pass the property as
estate in fee simple.'— W. H. H. Kelke, in N. and Q. 5 S. vi. 487.
The word viight-e occupies the fourth foot in the line.
323, 324. * He was well acquainted with all the legal cases and de-
cisions (or decrees) which had been ruled in the courts of law (lit. had
befiillen) since the time of William the Conqueror.' In icrines hadde
he, he had in tcmis, knew how to express in proper terms, was well
acquainted with.
325. Therto, moreover, make, compose, draw up, draught.
326. j)i7iche at, find fault with ; lit. nip, twitch at.
327. cmide he, he knew ; cottde is the pt. t. of konncn, to know, A.S.
ctin7iati.
328. viedlee cote, a coat of mixed stuff or colour. In 1303, we find
mention of ' one woman's surcoat of medley ' ; see Memorials of Lon-
don, ed. Riley, p. 48.
329. ceint of silk, Sec, a girdle of silk, with small ornaments. The
barres were called cloitx in French (Lat. clavus), and were the usual
ornaments of a girdle. They were perforated to allow the tongue
of the buckle to pass through them. ' Originally they were attached
transversely to the wide tissue of which the girdle was formed, but
subsequently were round or square, or fashioned like the heads of lions,
and similar devices, the name of bar7-e being still retained, though
improperly.' — Way, in Promptorium Parvulorum ; s. v. barre. And
see Bar in the New English Dictionary. Gower also has : 'a ceinte
of silk'; C. A. ed. Pauli, ii. 30. Cf. A. 3235, and Rom. of the Rose,
1085,1103.
ceint, O. F. ceint, a girdle ; from Lat. cinctus, pp. of cingere,
to gird.
The Frankeleyn.
33L Fortescue (De Laudibus Legum Angliae, c. 29) describes
a franklin to be a. pater familias — niagnis ditatus possessionibtis ; i.e.
he was a substantial householder and a man of some importance.
See Warton, Hist. E. Poet., ed. 1840, ii. 202 ; and Gloss, to P. Plow-
man.
332. dayes-ye, daisy ; A. S. dcpges cage, lit. eye of day (the sun).
333. ' He was sanguine of complexion.' The old school of medicine,
following Galen, supposed that there were four ' humours,' viz. hot,
cold, moist, and dry (see 1. 420), and four complexions or tempera-
ments of men, viz. the sanguine, the choleric, the phlegmatic, and the
melancholy. The man of sanguine complexion abounded in hot
and moist humours, as shown in the following description, given
in the Oriel MS. 79 (as quoted in my Preface to P. Plowman, B-text,
p. xix) : —
LI. 320-344.] THE FRANKELEYN.
33
* Sanguineus.
Largus, amans, hilaris, ridens, rubeique coloris,
Cantans, carnosus, satis audax, atque benignus :
multum appetit, quia calidus ; multum potest, quia humidus.'
334. by tJte 7nor-we, in the morning.
a sop in tuyn, wine with pieces of cake or bread in it ; see E. 1S43.
See Brand, Antiq. (ed. EUis), ii. 137. Later, sop-in-ivine was a jocose
name for a kind of pink or carnation ; id. ii. 91.
In the Anturs of Arthur at the Tamewathelan, st. 37, we read that
' Thre soppus of demayn [i. e. paindemayn]
Wos broght to Sir Gaua[y]n
For to comford his brayne.'
And in MS. Harl. 279, fol. 10, we have the necessary instruction for
the making of these sops. ' Take mylke and boyle it, and thanne tak
yolkys of eyroun \t:ggs\ ytryid \s€parata{\ fro the whyte, and hete it,
but let it nowt boyle, and stere it wyl tyl it be somwhat thikke ; thenne
cast therto salt and sugre, and kytte \iut\ fay re paynemaynnys in
round soppys, and caste the soppys theron, and serve it forth for
a potage.' — Way, in Promptorium Parvulorum, p. 378. The F. name
is soupe ail vin. See also Ducange, s. v. Merus.
335. loone, wont, custom ; A. S. wuna, ge-wuna.
dclyt, delight ; the mod. E. word is misspelt ; dclite would be better.
336. ' A very son of Epicurus.' Alluding to the famous Greek
philosopher [died B.C. 270], the author of the Epicurean philosophy,
which assumed pleasure to be the highest good. Chaucer here follows
Boethius, bk. iii. pr. 2. 54: 'The whiche delyt only considerede
Epicurus, and iuged and establisshed that delyt is the sovercyn good.'
Cf. Troil. iii. 1691, v. 763 ; also E. 2021.
340. *■ St. Julian was eminent for providing his votaries with good
lodgings and accommodation of all sorts. [See Chambers' Book
of Days, ii. 388.] In the title of his legend, Bodl. MS. 1 596, fol. 4, he
is called " St. Julian the gode herberjour " (St. Julian the good har-
bourer).' — Tyrwhitt. His day is Jan. 9. See the Lives of Saints, ed.
Horstmann (E. E. T. S.) ; also Gesta Romanorum, ed. Swan, tale 18 ;
Mrs. Jameson, Sacred and Leg. Art, ii. 393.
341. after oon, according to one invariable standard ; ' up to the
mark' ; cf. A. 178 1, and the note. A description of a Franklin's feast
is given in the Babees Book, ed. Fumivall, p. 170.
342. envyncd, stored with wine. * Cotgrave has preserved the
French word envin^ in the same sense.' — Tyrwhitt.
343. bake mete = baked meat ; the old past participle of bake was
baken or bake, as it was a strong verb. Baked meats = meats baked
in coffins (pies). Cf. Hamlet, i. 2. 180.
344. plentevous, plenteous, plentiful ; O. F. plentivous, formed by
adding -ous to O. F. pleinti/y adj. abundant ; see Godefroy's O. F.
Diet.
* * *
* * D
34 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a.
345. The verb snewed may be explained as a metaphor from
snowing; in fact, the M. E. snewe, like the Prov. Eng. sjiie or snive,
also signifies to abound, sruar/n. Camb. MS. reads ' It snowede in
his mouth of mete and drynk.' Cf. ' He was with yiftes [presents] all
bisnewcd' ; Cower, C. A. iii. 51. From A. S. sniwoji.
347. After^ according to ; it depended on what was in season.
348. j<?/^r (supee'r), supper; from O. F. infin. soper; cf. F. 11 89.
349. Dieivc. The vieive was the place where the hawks were kept
while moulting ; it was afterwards applied to the coop wherein fowl
were fattened, and lastly to a place of confinement or secrecy.
350. siewe, fish-pond. ' To insure a supply of fish, stew-ponds
were attached to the manors, and few monasteries were without
them ; the moat around the castle was often converted into a fish-
pond, and well stored with luce, carp, or tench.' — Our English
Home, p. 65.
bree7>i, bream ; luce, pike, from O. Y. luce, Low Lat. lucius.
35L Wo ivas his cook, woeful or sad was his cook. We now only
use wo or woe as a substantive. Cf. B. 757, E. 753 ; and * I am woe
for 't' ; Tempest, v. I. 139.
* Who was woo but Olyvere then ? '— Sowdone of Babyloyne, 1. 1271.
Rob. of Brunne, in his Handlyng Synne, 1. 7250, says that a rich
man's cook ' may no day Greythe hym hys mete to pay.'
but-if, unless.
351. 352. sauce — Poynautit is like the modern phrase sauce piquanie.
Cf. B. 4024. ' Our forefathers were great lovers of " piquant sauce."
They made it of expensive condiments and rare spices.' — Our English
Home, p. 62.
353. table dormant, irremoveable table. * Previous to the fourteenth
century a pair of common wooden trestles and a rough plank was
deemed a table sufficient for the great hall. . . . Tables, with a board
attached to a frame, were introduced about the time of Chaucer, and,
from remaining in the hall, were regarded as indications of a ready
hospitality.' — Our English Home, p. 29. Most tables were removeable ;
such a table was called a bord (board).
355. sessiowis. At the Sessions of the Peace, at the meeting of the
Justices of the Peace. Cf. * At Sessions and at Sises we bare the stroke
and swaye.' — Higgins' Mirrour for Magistrates, ed. 1571, p. 2,
356. knight of the shire, the designation given to the representative
in parliament of an English county at large, as distinguished from the
representatives of such counties and towns as are counties of themselves
(Ogilvie). Chaucer was knight of the shire of Kent in 1386.
tym-e here represents the A. S. timan, pi. oitima, a time,
357. anlas or anelace. Speght defines this word as a falchion, or
wood-knife. It was, however, a short two-edged knife or dagger
usually worn at the girdle, broad at the hilt and tapering to a point.
See the New Eng. Dictionary ; Liber Albus, p. 75 ; Knight, Pict. Hist,
of England, i. 872 ; Gloss, to Matthew Paris, s. v. anelacius ; Riley's
P
LI. 345-362.] THE HABERDASSHER AND OTHERS. 35
Memorials of London, p. 15. The etymology is unknown ; I guess it
to be from M. E. an, on, and las, a lace, i.e. ' on a lace,' a dagger that
hung from a lace attached to the girdle. Cf. A. S. bigyrdel (just
below) ; and ' hanging on a laas ' in 1. 392.
gipser was properly a pouch or budget used in hawking, &c., but
commonly worn by the merchant, or with any secular attire. — (Way.)
It answers to F. gibeciere, a pouch ; from O. F. gibe, a bunch (Scheler).
In Riley's Memorials of London, p. 398, under the date 1 376, there
is a mention of ' purses called ^/^^^^/.y.' In the Bury Wills, p. yj, 1. 16,
under the date 1463, we find — ' My "htsi gypcer with iij. bagges.' The
A. S. name was bigyrdel, from its hanging by the girdle, as said in
1. 358 ; it occurs in the A.S. version of Matt. x. 9 ; and in P. Plowman,
B. viii. 87.
358. Heng (or Heeng), the past tense of hongen or ha?igen, to hang.
morne w///(' = morning-milk ; as in A. 3236. 'As white as milke';
Ritson's Iklet. Romances, iii. 292.
359. shirrevc, the reve of a shire, governor of a county ; our modern
word sheriff.
countotir, O.Fr. coviptonr, an accountant, a person who audited
accounts or received money in charge, «S;c. ; ranked with pleaders in
Riley's Memorials of London, p. 58. It occurs in Rob. of Gloucester,
1. 1 1 153. In the Book of the Duch. 435, it simply means 'ac-
countant.' Perhaps it here means ' auditor.' * Or stewards, counfours,
or pleadours'; Plowman's Tale, pt. iii. st. 13.
360. vavasour, or vavascr, originally a sub-vassal or tenant of
a vassal or tenant of the king's, one who held his lands in fealty.
' Vavasor, one that in dignities is next to a Baron ' ; Cowel. Strutt
(Manners and Customs, iii. 14) explains that a vavasour was 'a tenant
by knight's service, who did not hold immediately of the king in capite,
but of some mesne lord, which excluded him from the dignity of baron
by tenure.' Tyrwhitt says ' it should be understood to mean the whole
class of middling landholders.' See Lacroix, Military Life of Middle
Ages, p. 9. Spelt favasour in King Alisaundcr, ed. Weber, 1. 3827.
A. F. uauassur; Laws of Will. I. c. 20. Lit. 'vassal of vassals' ; Low
Lat. vassus vassoruvi.
The Haberdassher and. others.
36L Haberdassher. Haberdashers were of two kinds : haberdashers
of small wares — sellers of needles, tapes, buttons, &c. ; and haber-
dashers of hats. The stuff called hapertas is mentioned in the Liber
Albus, p. 225.
362. Webbe, properly a male weaver ; ivebstere was the female
weaver, but there appears to have been some confusion in the use
of the suffixes -e and -stere; see Piers Plowman, ed. Skeat, B. v. 215 :
* mi "u/yf was a webbeJ Hence the names Webb and Webster. Cf.
D 2
36 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a.
A. S. webba, m., a weaver; webbestere, fern, tapicer, upholsterer;
F. tapis^ carpet.
363. Hveree, livery. ' Under the term " livery " was included what-
ever was dispensed (delivered) by the lord to his officials or domestics
annually or at certain seasons, whether money, victuals, or garments.
The term chiefly denoted external marks of distinction, such as the
roba estivalis and hiemalis, given to the officers and retainers of the
court. . . . The Stat. 7 Hen. IV expressly permits the adoption of
such distinctive dress by fraternities and " les goitz de mesiere" the
trades of the cities of the realm, being ordained with good Intent ;
and to this prevalent usage Chaucer alludes when he describes five
artificers of various callings, who joined the pilgrimage, clothed all
in lyverd of a sole7Hpne and greet fraterniti'.^ — ^Vay, note to Prompt.
Parv., p. 308. We still speak of the Livery Companies.
And they were clothed alle (Elles., &c.) ; IVeren with vss eeke
clothed (Harl.) The former reading leaves the former clause of the
sentence without a verb.
364. fraternitee, guild : see English Gilds, ed. Toulmin Smith, pp.
XXX, xxxix, cxxii. Each guild had its own livery ; Rock, Church of
our Fathers, ii. 412.
365. gere, gear, apparel, apyked, signifies cleaned, trimmed, like
Shakespeare's //V^vr/. Cotgrave gives as senses of F. piqucr, *to quilt,'
and * to stiffen a coller.'
360. y-chaped, having chapes (i.e. plates or caps of metal at the
point of the sheath or scabbard). Tradesmen and mechanics were
prohibited from using knives adorned with silver, gold, or precious
stones. So that Chaucer's pilgrims were of a superior estate, as is
indicated in 1. 369. Cf. chapeless, Taming of the Shrew, iii. 2. 48.
370. deys, dese, or dais (Fr. dels, from Lat. disctim, ace), is used
to denote the raised platform which was always found at the upper
end of a hall, on which the high table was placed ; originally, it meant
the high table itself. In modem French and English, it is used of a
canopy or 'tester' over a seat of state. Tyrwhitt's account of the
word is confused, as he starts with a false etymology.
yeld-halle, guild-hall. See Gildhall in the Index to E. Gilds, ed.
Toulmin Smith.
37 L that he can, that he knows ; so also as he coiithe, as he knew
how, in 1. 390. This line is deficient in the first foot.
372. shaply, adapted, fit ; sometimes comely, of good shape. The
mention of alderman should be noted. It was the invariable title
given to one who was chosen as the head or principal of a guild (see
English Gilds, ed. Toulmin Smith, pp. ciii, 36, 148, 276, 446). All
these men belonged to a fraternity or guild, and each of them was a fit
man to be chosen as head of it.
373, ' For they had sufficient property and income * (to entitle them
to undertake such an office).
376. y-clept, called ; pp. oi clepen ; see 1. 121.
LI. 363-386.] THE COOK. 37
377. And goon to vigilyes al bifore. ' It was the manner in times
past, upon festival evens, called vigtlicr, for parishioners to meet in
their church-houses or church-yards, and there to have a drinking-fit
for the time. Here they used to end many quarrels betwixt neighbour
and neighbour. Hither came the wives in comely manner, and they
which were of the better sort had their mantles carried with them,
as well for show as to keep them from cold at table.' — Speght, Gl. to
Chaucer.
The Cook.
Sl'd. for Ihe nones=for the nonce \ this expression, if grammatically
written, would ho. for then once, 'M.'E./or Jnin anes, for the once, i.e.
for the occasion ; where the adv. tvics (orig. a gen. form) is used as if
it were a sb. in the dat. case. Cf. M.E. atte=atten^ A. S. cet J>din.
381. poudre-marchaunt tari is a sharp (tart) kind of flavouring
powder, twice mentioned in Household Ordinances and Receipts (Soc.
Antiq. 1790) at pp. 425, 434 : ' Do therto pouJer fnanhani,' and 'do
thi flessh therto, and gode herbes and poudre marchaunt, and let hit
well stew.' — Notes and Queries, Fourth Series, iii. iSo. See Powder
in the Glossary to the Babees Book.
' Galingale, which Chaucer, pre-eminentest, economioniseth above
all junquetries or confectionaries whatsoever.' — Nash's Lenten Stuff,
p. 36, ed. Hindley. Galingale is the root of sweet cyperus. Harman
(cd. Strother) notices three varieties : Cyperus rotundus, Galanga
major, Galanga minor; Babees Book, ed. Fumivall, pp. 152, 216.
See also Marco Polo, ed. Yule, ii. 181 ; Prompt. Parv., p. 185, note 4 ;
Rogers, Hist, of Agriculture and Prices, i. 629; (Sic. And see Dr. H.
Fletcher Hance's and Mr. Daniel Hanbury's Papers on this spice in
the Linnxan Society's Journal, 1871.
382. London ale. London ale was famous as early as the time of
Henry II L, and much higher priced than any other ale ; cf. A. 3140.
Wei coiide he knowc, he well knew how to distinguish. In fact, we
find, in the Manciple's Prologue (H. 57), that the Cook loved good ale
only too well.
384. mortrenx or mortrewes. There were two kinds of ' mortrews,'
'mortrewesde chare' and ' mortrewes of fysshe.' The first was a kind
of soup in which chickens, fresh pork, crumbs of bread, yolks of eggs,
and saflfron formed the chief ingredients ; the second kind was a soup
containing the roe (or milt) and liver offish, bread, pepper, ale. The
ingredients were first stamped or brayed in a mortar, whence it
probably derived its name. Lord Bacon (Nat. Hist. i. 48) speaks of
* a mortresse made with the brawne of capons stamped and strained.'
See Babees Book, pp. 151, 170, 172 ; Liber Cure Cocorum, ed. Morris,
pp. 9, 19; and the note to P. Plowman, C. xvi. 47. This line, like
11. 371 and 391, is deficient in the first foot.
386. mormal, a cancer or gangrene. Ben Jonson, in imitation of
38 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group A.
this passage, has described a cook with an 'old mortmal on his shin ' ;
Sad Shepherd, act ii. sc. 2. Lydgate speaks of 'Goutes, viormalles,
horrible to the sight'; Falls of Princes, bk. vii. c. lo. In Polit.
Religious and Love Poems, ed. Furnivall, p. 218, we are told that the
sin of Luxury 'ys a lyther iiiormale.' In Skelton's Magnificence,
1. 1932, Adversity is made to say — 'Some with the marinoll to halte
I them make ' ; and it is remarkable that Palsgrave gives both —
' Mormall, a sore,' and ' Marmoll, a sore ' ; the latter being plainly
a corrupt form. See also Prompt. Parvulorum, p. 343, note 5. In
MS. Go. i. 20, last leaf, in the Camb. Univ. Library, are notices of
remedies * Por la maladie que est apele mahcvi viortuum! The MS.
says that it comes from melancholy, and shows a broad hard scurf or
crust.
387. blank-inaiigery a compound made of capon minced, with rice,
milk, sugar, and almonds ; see Liber Cure Cocorum, ed. Morris, p. 9.
Named from its white colour.
The Shipman.
See the essay on Chaucer's Shipman in Essays on Chaucer, p. 455.
388. uioning, dwelling ; from A. S. wutiian, to dwell.
by iveste='wcsi'ward. A good old expression, which was once very
common as late as the sixteenth century.
389. Dartmouth was once a very considerable port ; see Essays on
Chaucer, p. 456. Compare the account of the Shipman's Gild at
Lynn ; E. Gilds, p. 54.
390. rotincy, a common hackney horse, a nag. Cf. Rozinanie.
^ Rocinante — significativo de lo que habia sido cuando fue rocin,
antes de lo que ahora era.' Don Quijote, cap. i. 'From Rosin,
a drudge-horse, and ante, before.' Jarvis's note. The O. F. form is
roncin ; Low Lat. runcimis. The rouncy was chiefly used for agri-
cultural work ; see Essays on Chaucer, p. 494.
as he couthe, as he knew how ; but, as a sailor, his knowledge this
way was deficient.
391. a goune 0/ jaUing, a. gown (robe) of coarse cloth. The term
/aiding signifies 'a kind of frieze or rough-napped cloth,' which was
probably 'supplied from the North of Europe, and identical with the
woollen wrappers of which Hermoldus speaks, '■^ quos nos appellamus
Faldonesr' — Way. ^ Falding was a coarse serge cloth, very rough
and durable,' <S:c. ; Essays on Chaucer, p. 438. In MS. O. 5. 4, in
Trinity College, Cambridge, occurs the entry — ' Amphibulus, vestis
equi villosa, anglice a sclauayii or /aldyng' ; cited in Furnivall's
Temporary Preface, p. 99. In 1392, I find a mention of 'unam
tunicam de \\\gro fa/dytig lineatam' ; Testamenta Eboracensia, i. 173.
Hence its colour was sometimes black, and the Shipman's gown is
so coloured in the drawing in the Ellesmere MS.; but see A. 3212.
See the whole of Way's long note in the Prompt. Parvulorum.
LI. 387-410.] THE SHIPMAN. 39
392. liKJs, lace, cord. Seamen still carry their knives slung.
394. the hole soma'. ' Perhaps this is a reference to the summer of
the year 1351, which was long remembered as the dry and hot
summer.' — Wright. There was another such summer in 1370, much
nearer the date of this Prologue. But it may be a mere general
expression.
395. a goodfelai>.'e, a merry companion ; as in 1. 648.
396-8. ' Very many a draught of wine had he drawn (stolen away
or carried off) from Bordeaux, cask and all, while the chapman
(merchant or supercargo to whom the wine belonged) was asleep ; for
he paid no regard to any conscientious scruples.'
iook keep ; cf. F. prendre gaj-de.
399. hyer houd, upper hand.
400. * He sent them home to wherever they came from by water^
i. e. he made them ' walk the plank,' as it used to be called ; or, in
plain English, threw them overboard, to sink or swim. However
cruel this may seem now, it was probably a common practice. ' This
battle (the sea-fight off Sluys) was very murderous and horrible.
Combats at sea are more destructive and obstinate than upon land' ;
Froissart's Chron. bk. i. c. 50. See Minot's Poems, ed. Hall, p. 16.
In Wright's History of Caricature, p. 204, is an anecdote of the way
in which the defeat of the French at Sluys was at last revealed to the
king of France, Philippe VI., by the court-jester, who alone dared to
communicate the news. 'Entering the King's chamber, he continued
muttering to himself, but loud enough to be heard — " Those cowardly
English! the chicken-hearted English!" "How so, cousin?" the
king inquired. "Why," replied the fool, "because they have not
courage enough to jump into the sea, like your French soldiers, who
went over headlong from their ships, leaving them to the enemy, who
had no inclhiation to follow them" Philippe thus became aware of
the full extent of his calamity.' And see Essays on Chaucer, p. 460.
402. siremes, currents, htju bisydes, ever near at hand.
403. hcrberwey harbour ; see note to 1. 765. mone, moon, time of
the lunation.
lodemenage, pilotage. A pilot was called a lodesman ; see Way's
note in Prompt. Parv. p. 310; Riley's Memorials of London, p. 655 ;
Chaucer's Legend of Good Women, 1488. Furnivall's Temporary
Preface, p. 98, gives the Lat. form as lodmannus, whence lodinann-
agium, pilotage, examples of which are given. Sometimes, lodesman
meant any guide or conductor, as in Rob. of Brunne, Handlyng Synne,
9027 ; Monk of Evesham, ed. Arber, p. 106. M.E. lode is the A. S.
hiil, a way, a course, the sb. whence the verb to lead is derived. It is
itself derived from A. S. lidan^ to travel.
404. Cf. Rom. de la Rose, 5394 — ' Qui cercheroit jusqu'en Cartage."
408. Gootland, Cottland, an island in the Baltic Sea.
409. cryke, creek, harbour, port.
410. We find actual mention of a vessel called the Maudelayne
40 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group A.
belonging to the port of Dartmouth, in the years 1 379 and 1386 ; see
Essays on Chaucer, p. 484, See also N. & O. 6 S. xii. 47.
The Doctour.
415. astronojnye, (really) astrology. See Saunders on Chaucer,
p. Ill ; Warton, Hist. E. Poet. (1840), ii. 202.
415. 416. kcpte, watched. The houres are the astrological hours.
He carefully watched for a favourable star in the ascendant. * A
great portion of the medical science of the middle ages depended upon
astrological and other superstitious observances.' — Wright. ' A Phisi-
tion must take heede and aduise him of a certaine thing, \\i?i'i fay leih
not, nor dccciucth, the which thing Astronomers of ^gypt taught, that
by coniunction of the bodye of the Moone with sterres fortunate,
commeth dreadful sicknesse to good end : and with contrary Planets
falleth the contrary, that is, to euill ende ' ; <S:c. — Batman upon
Bartholome, lib. viii. c. 29. Precisely the same sort of thing was in
vogue much later, viz. in 1578; sec Bullein's Dialogue against the
Fcuer Pestilence (E. E. T. S.), p. 32.
416. viagik 7iaiurcl. Chaucer alludes to the same practices in the
House of Fame, 1259-70 (vol. iii. p. 38) : —
'Ther saugh I pleyen logelours
• •••••
And clerkes eek, which conne wel
Al this magyke itaiufel,
That craftely don hir ententes
To make, in certcyn ascendenics,
Images, lo ! through which magyk
To make a man ben hool or syk.'
417. The ascendent is the point of the zodiacal circle which happens
to be ascending above the horizon at a given moment, such as the
moment of birth. Upon it depended the drawing out of a man's horo-
scope, which represented the aspect of the heavens at some given
critical moment. The moment, in the present case, is that for making
images. It was believed that images of men and animals could be
made of certain substances and at certain times, and could be so
treated as to cause good or evil to a patient, by means of magical and
planetary influences. See Cornelius Agrippa, De Occulta Philosophia,
lib. ii. capp. 35-47. The sense is — ' He knew well how to choose
a fortunate ascendant for treating images, to be used as charms to help
the patient.'
'With Astrologie joyne elements also.
To fortune their Workings as theie go.'
Norton's Ordinall, in Ashmole's Theatrum Chemicum, p. 60.
420. These are they&«r elementary qualities, hot, cold, dry, moist ;
LI. 415-434.] THE DOCTOUR, 41
Milton, Par. Lost, ii. 898. Diseases were supposed to be caused by
an undue excess of some one quality ; and the mixture of prevalent
qualities in a man's body determined his complexion or temperament.
Thus the sa7igiiine man was thought to be hot and moist ; the
phlegmatic, cold and moist ; the choleric, hot and dry ; the melancholy,
cold and dry. The whole system rested on the teaching of Galen,
and was fundamentally wrong, as it assumed that the ' elements,' or
* simple bodies,' were four, viz. earth, air, fire, and water. Of these,
earth was said to be cold and dry ; water, cold and moist ; air, hot and
moist ; and fire, hot and dry. They thus correspond to the four
complexions, viz. melancholy, phlegmatic, sanguine, and choleric.
Each principal part of the body, as the brain, heart, liver, stomach,
&c., could be 'distempered,' and such distemperance could be either
'simple' or 'compound.' Thus a simple distempcrature of the brain
might be ' an excess of heat ' ; a compound one, ' an excess of heat
and moisture.' See the whole system explained in Sir Thos. Elyot's
Castel of Helthe ; at the beginning.
422. parjit practisour, perfect practitioner.
424. his bote, his remedy ; A. S. bot, a remedy ; E. boot.
426. drogges. MS. Harl. dragges ; the rest drogges, drugges, drugs.
As to dragges (which is quite a different word), the Promptorium
Parvulorum has ' dragge, dragetum ' ; and Cotgrave defines dragee
(the French form of the word dragge) as * a kind of digestive powder
prescribed unto weak stomachs after meat, and hence any jonkets,
comfits, or sweetmeats served in the last course for stomach-closers.'
letuartes, electuaries. ' Letuaire, laituarie, s. m., electuaire, sorte
de medicament, sirop ' ; Godefroy.
429-34. Read tlColdc. * The authors mentioned here wrote the
chief medical text-books of the middle ages. Rufus was a Greek phy-
sician of Ephesus, of the age of Trajan ; Haly, Scrapion, and Aviccn
(Ebn Sina) were Arabian physicians and astronomers of the eleventh
century; Rhasis was a Spanish Arab of the tenth century; and
Averroes (Ebn Roschd) was a Moorish scholar who flourished in
Morocco in the twelfth century. Johannes Damascenus was also an
Arabian physician, but of a much earlier date (probably of the ninth
century), Constanti[n]us Afcr, a native of Carthage, and afterwards
a monk of Monte Cassino, was one of the founders of the school of
Salerno— he lived at the end of the eleventh century. Bernardus
Gordonius, professor of medicine at Montpellier, appears to have been
Chaucer's contemporary. John Gatisden was a distinguished physician
of Oxford in the earlier half of the fourteenth century. Gilbcrtyn is
supposed by Warton to be the celebrated Gilbertus Anglicus. The
names of Hippocrates and Galen were, in the middle ages, always (or
nearly always) spelt Ypocras and Galienus.' — Wright. Cf. C. 306.
yEsculapius, god of medicine, was fabled to be the son of Apollo.
Dioscorides was a Greek physician of the second century. See the
long note in Warton, 1871, ii. 368 ; and the account in Saunders'
42 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a.
Chaucer (1889), p. 115. I may note here, that Haly wrote a com-
mentary on Galen, and is mentioned in Skelton's Philip Sparowe,
I. 505. There were three Serapions ; the one here meant was probably
John Serapion, in the eleventh century. Averroes wrote a commentary
on the works of Aristotle, and died about 1198. Constantinus is the
same as 'the cursed monk Dan Constantyn,' mentioned in the
Marchaunt's Tale, E. 1810. John Gatisden was a fellow of Merton
College, and 'was court-doctor under Edw. II. He wrote a treatise
on medicine called Rosa Anglica^ \ J. Jusserand, Eng. Wayfaring
Life, (1889), p. 180. Cf. Book of the Duchess, 572. Dante, Inf. iv.
143, mentions 'Ippocrate, Avicenna, e Gallieno, Averrois,' &c.
' Par Hipocras, ne Galien, . . .
Rasis, Constantin, Aviccnne ' ;
Rom. de la Rose, 16161.
See Lounsbury, Studies in Chaucer, ii. 393.
439. 'In cloth of a blood-red colour and of a blueish-grey.' Cf.
'robes At. per s^' Rom. de la Rose, 91 16. In the Testament of Creseide,
ed. 1550, St. 36, we find : —
' Docter in phisike cledde in a scarlet gown,
And furred wel as suche one oughte to be.'
Cf. P. Plowman, B. vi. 271 ; Hoccleve, de Reg. Princ. p. 26.
440. taffaia (or taffeiy)^ a sort of thin silk ; E. taffeta.
scndal (or cendal), a kind of rich thin silk used for lining, very
highly esteemed. Thynne says — ' a thynne stufTe lyke sarcenett.'
Palsgrave however has ' cendell, thynne lynnen, sendal' See Piers
Plowman, B. vi. 1 1 ; Marco Polo, ed. Yule (see the index).
441. esy of dispence, moderate in his expenditure.
442. loati i7i pestilence, acquired during the pestilence. This is an
/ allusion to the great pestilence of the years 1348, 1349 ; or to the
later pestilences in 1362, 1369, and 1376.
443. /v?r= because, seeing that. It was supposed that (7«r///«/5fl/(z3//<?
was a sovereign remedy in some cases. The actual reference is,
probably, to Les Remonstrances de Nature, by Jean de Meun,
II. 979, 980, &c. ; ' C'est le fin et bon or potable, L'humide radical
notable; C'est souveraine medecine'; and the author goes on to
refer us to Ecclus. xxxviii. 4 — ' The Lord hath created medicines out of
the earth ; and he that is wise will not abhor them.' Hence the Doctor
would not abhor gold. And further — 'C'est medecine cordiale'' \
ib. 1029. To return to aurunipotabile : I may obsei"ve that it is mentioned
in the play called Humour out of Breath, Act i. sc. I ; and there is
a footnote to the effect that this was the ' Universal Medicine of the
alchemists, prepared from gold, mercury, &c. The full receipt will be
found in the Fifth and last Part of the Last Testament of Friar Basilius
Valentinus, London, 1670, pp. 371-7.' See also Thomson's Hist, of
Chemistry, vol. i. p. 164 ; Burton's Anat. of Melancholy, pt. 2. sec. 4.
mem. i. subsec. 4.
LL 439-457-] THE WYF OF BATHE. 43
The "Wyf of Bathe.
445. o/bisyde, &c., from (a place) near Bath, i.e. from a place in its
suburbs ; for elsewhere she is simply called the Wyf of Bathe.
446. ' But she was somewhat deaf, and that was her misfortune.' We
should now say — ' and it was a pity.'
447. dooth-making. 'The West of England, and especially the
neighbourhood of Bath, from which the "good wif" came, was cele-
brated, till a comparatively recent period, as the district of cloth-making.
Ypres and Ghent were the great clothing-marts on the Continent.' —
Wright. 'Edward the third brought clothing first into this Island,
transporting some families of artificers from Gaunt hither.' — Burton's
Anat. of Mel. p. 51. 'Cloth of Gaunt' is mentioned in the Romaunt of
the Rose, 1. 574 (vol. i. p. 117).
haunt, use, practice ; i. e. she was so well skilled (in it).
448. passed, i. e. surpassed.
450. to the offring. In the description of the missal-rites. Rock
shews how the bishop (or officiating priest) ' took from the people's
selves their offerings of bread and wine. . . The men first and then the
women, came with their cake and cruse of wine.' So that, instead of
money being collected, as now, the people went up in order with their
offerings ; and questions of precedence of course arose. The Wife
insisted on going up first among the women. See Rock, Church of our
Fathers, iii. 2. n, 149.
453. coverchief {keverchef, or kerchere, kercht'). The kerchief, or
covering for the head, was, until the fourteenth century, almost an
indispensable portion of female attire. See B. 837 ; Leg. of Good
Women, 1. 2202.
ful fyne of ground, of a very fine texture. See Pierce the Plough-
man's Crede, I. 230, which means ' it was of fine enough texture to take
dye in grain.'
454. ten pound. Of course this is a playful exaggeration ; but
Tyrwhitt was not justified in altering ten pound into a pound; for
a pound-weight, in a head-dress of that period, was a mere nothing, as
will be readily understood by observing the huge structures represented
in Fairholt's Costume, figs. 125, 129, 130, 151, which were often further
weighted with ornaments of gold. Skelton goes so far as to describe
Elinour Rummyng (1. 72) —
'With clothes upon her hed
That wey a soiue of led.^
Cf. Pierce the Ploughman's Crede, I.84, and the note ; Stubbcs, Anatomy
of Abuses, 1585, pp. 63, 70, 72 ; or ed. Furnivall, pp. 69, 74, 76.
457. streite y-teyd, tightly fastened. See note to 1. 174.
vioiste, soft — not ' as hard as old boots.' So, in H. 60, inoysty ale is
new ale.
44 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a.
460. chirche-dore. The priest married the couple at the church-porch,
and immediately afterwards proceeded to the altar to celebrate mass, at
which the newly-married persons communicated. As Todd remarks —
'The custom was, that the parties did not enter the church till that
part of the office, where the minister now goes up to the altar [or rather,
is directed to go up], and repeats the psalm.' See Warton, Hist. Eng.
Poet. 1871, ii. 366, note i; Anglia, vi. 106; Rock, Church of our
Fathers, iii. pt. 2. 172 ; Brand's Antiquities, ed. Ellis, ii. 134. And see
D. 6.
461. ^F////<7«/^« = besides, other covipaitye^Q^ki^xXoxtx?,. This ex-
pression (copied from Le Rom. de la Rose, 1. 12985 — 'autre com-
panie') makes it quite certain that the character of the Wife of Bath is
copied, in some respects, from that of La Vieille in the Roman de la
Rose, as further appears in the Wife's Prologue.
462. as noiithe, as now, i. e. at present. The form noitthe is not
uncommon ; it occurs in P. Plowman, AUit. Poems, Sir Gawain and
the Grene Knight, &c. A. S. 7tu ^d, now then.
465. Boloigne. Cf. ' I will have you swear by our dear Lady of
Boulogne'; Gammer Gurton's Needle, Act 2, sc. 2. An image of the
virgin, at Boulogne, was sought by pilgrims. See Heylin's Survey of
France, p. 163, ed. 1656 (quoted in the above, ed. Hazlitt).
466. In Galice (Galicia), at the shrine of St. James of Compostella,
a famous resort of pilgrims in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.
As the legend goes, the body of St. James the Apostle was supposed to
have been carried in a ship without a rudder to Galicia, and preserved
at Compostella. See Piers Plowman, A. iv. 106, 110, and note to B.
Prol. 47 ; also Eng. Gilds, ed. Toulmin Smith, pp. 172, 177.
Coloigne. At Cologne, where the bones of the Three Kings or Wise
Men of the East, Caspar, Mdchior and Balthazar, are said to be
preserved. See Coryat's Crudities ; Chambers, Book of Days, ii. 751.
467. ' She knew much about travelling.'
468. Gat-tothcd = gat-toothcd, meaning gap-toothed, having teeth
wide apart or separated from one another. A gat is an opening, and is
allied to E. gate. The Friesic gat, Dan., Du., and Icel. gat, and
Norweg.^frt;/, all mean a hole, or a gap. Very similar is the use of the
Shropshire glat, a gap in a hedge, also a gap in the mouth caused by
loss of teeth. Example : ' Dick, yo' bin a flirt ; I thought yo' wun
{were) gwein to marry the cook at the paas'n's. Aye, but 'er'd gotten
too many glats i' the mouth for me ' ; Miss Jackson's Shropshire Word-
book. 'Famine— the ^a/-/<3<?///^</ elf; Golding's Ovid, b. 8 ; leaf 105.
It occurs again, D. 603. \Gat-tooth£d\i7i.% also been explained SiS goat-
toothed, lascivious, but the word goat appears as goot in Chaucer.]
Perhaps the following piece of ' folk-lore ' will help us out. ' A young
lady the other day, in reply to an observation of mine — "What a lucky
girl you are ! "—replied ; " So they used to say I should be when at
school." " Why ? " " Because my teeth were set so far apart; it was
a sure sign I should be lucky a)id travel." ^ — Notes & Queries I Sen
LI. 460-494.] THE PERSOUN. 45
vi. 6oi ; cf. the same, 7 Ser. vii. 306. The last quotation shews that
the stop after weye at the end of 1. 467 should be a mere semicolon ;
since 11. 467 and 468 are closely connected.
469. amblere, an ambling horse.
470. Y-wimpled, covered with a wimple; see I. 151.
471. targe, target, shield.
472. foot-ina7itel. Tyrwhitt supposes this to be a sort of riding-
Petticoat, such as is now used by market-women. It is clearly shewn,
as a blue outer skirt, in the drawing in the Ellesmere MS. At a later
time it was called a safe-guard {stc Nares), and its use was to keep the
gown clean. It may be added that, in the Ellesmere IVIS., the Wife is
represented as riding astride. Hence she wanted ' a pair of spurs.'
474. carpe, prate, discourse ; I eel. karpa, to brag. The present
sense of carp seems to be due to Lat. ca?pere.
475. reviedyes. An allusion to the title and subject of Ovid's book,
Remedia Amoris.
476. the olde daunce, the old game, or custom. The phrase is
borrowed from Le Roman de la Rose, I. 3946 — 'Qu'el scet toute la
vielle dance ' ; E. version, 1. 4300 — ' For she knew al the olde daunce.*
It occurs again ; Troil. iii. 695. And in Troil. ii. 1 106, we have the
phrase loves daunce. Cf. the amorouse daunce, Troil. iv. 1431.
The Persoun.
478. Persoun of a toun, the parson or parish priest. Chaucer, in his
description of the parson, contrasts the piety and industry of the secular
clergy with the wickedness and laziness of the religious orders or monks.
See Dryden's 'Character of a Good Parson,' and Goldsmith's ' Deserted
Village'; also Wyclif, ed. Matthew, p. 179.
482. parisshens, parishioners ; in which -er is a later suffix.
485. y-preved, proved (to be}, ofte sythes, often-times ; from A. S.
sVS, a time.
486. ' He was very loath to excommunicate those who failed to pay
the tithes that were due to him.' ' Refusal to pay tithes was punishable
with the lesser excommunication ' ; Bell. Wyclifcomplainsof * weiward
curatis ' that * sclaundren here parischenys many weies by ensaumple
of pride, enuye, coueitise and vnresonable vengaunce, so cruely cursynge
for tithes' ; Works, ed. Matthew, p. 144 (cf. p. 132).
487. yeven, give ; A. S. gifan. out of doute, without doubt.
489. offritig, the voluntary contributions of his parishioners.
stibstaunce, income derived from his benefice.
490. suffisaunce, a sufficiency ; enough to live on.
492. lafte not, left not, ceased not ; from IM. E. leven.
493. meschief, mishap, misfortune.
494. ferreste, farthest ; superl. oifer, far. muche, great, lyte, small ;
A. S. lyt, small, little.
46 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group A.
497. wroghte, wrought, worked ; pt. t. of werchen, to work.
498. The allusion is to Matt. v. 19, as shewn by a parallel passage in
P. Plowman, C. xv^i. 127.
502. lewed, unlearned, ignorant. Lew ed or /i?w^/ originally signified
the people, laity, as opposed to the clergy ; the modern sense of the
word is not common in Middle English. Cf. mod. E. lewd, in Acts
xvii. 5. See Lewdm Trench, Select Glossary.
S03-4. if a freest tak-c keep, if a priest may (i.e. will) but pay heed
to it. St. John Chrysostom also saith, * It is a great shame for priests,
when laymen be found faithfuller and more righteous than they.' —
Becon's Invective against Swearing, p. 336.
507. to Jiyre. The parson did not leave his parish duties to be per-
formed by a stranger, that he might have leisure to seek a chantry in
St. Paul's. See Piers Plowman, B-text, Prol. 1. 83 ; Hoccleve, De
Regimine Principum, ed. Wright, pp. 51, 52 ; Spenser, Shep. Kalendar
(May).
508. Afid leet, and left (not). We should now say — ' Nor left.' So
also, in 1. 509, And ran = Nor ran. Leei is the pt. t. of leten, to let
alone, let go.
509. Here again, s'e-yni is used as if it were dissyllabic ; see 11. 120,
697.
510. chaunterie, chantry ; an endowment for the payment of a priest
to sing mass, agreeably to the appointment of the founder. ' There
were thirty-five of these chantries established at St. Paul's, which were
served by fifty-four priests ; Dugd. Hist. pref. p. 41.' — Tyrwhitt's
Glossary. On the difference between a gild and a chantry, see the
instructive remarks in Eng. Gilds, ed. Toulmin Smith, pp. 205-207, 259.
511. 'Or to be kept (i.e. remain) in retirement along with some
fraternity.' I do not see how with-holde can mean 'maintained,' as it
is usually explained. Cf. dwelte in 1. 512, and with-holde in G. 345.
514. no viercenarie, no hireling ; see John x. 12, where the Vulgate
version has niercenarius.
516. despitoiis, full ai despite, or contempt ; cf. E. spite.
517. daimgeroiis, not affable, difficult to approach. Cf. Rom. of the
Rose, 1. 591 :— ' Ne of hir answer daimgeroiis' ; where the original has
desdaigneiise. digne, full of dignity ; hence, repellent. ' She was as
digne as water in a dich,' A. 3964 ; because stagnant water keeps
people at a distance.
519. fairnesse, i. e. by leading a fair or good life. The Harleian MS.
has clennesse, that is, a life of purity.
523. snibben, reprimand ; cf. Dan. snibbe, to rebuke, scold ; mod. E.
snub. In Wyclif's translation of Matt, xviii. 15, the earlier version has
snybbe as a synonym for rep7'ove.
nones ; see 1. 379, and the note.
525. wayted after, looked for. See line 571.
526. spy ced conscience; so also in D. 435. Spiced here seems to
signify, says Tyrwhitt, nice, scrupulous ; for a reason which is given
LI. 497-545.] THE MILLER. 47
below. It occurs in the Mad Lover, act iii. sc. I, by Beaumont and
Fletcher. When Cleanthe offers a purse, the priestess says —
' Fy ! no corruption ....
Cle. Take it, it is yours ;
Be not so spiced \ 'tis good gold;
And goodness is no gall to th' conscience.'
'Under pretence of j/zV^^ holinesse.' — Tract dated 1594, ap. Todd's
Illustrations of Gower, p. 380.
* Fool that I was, to offer such a bargain
To a spiccd-conscience chapman ! but I care not.
What he disdains to taste, others will swallow.'
Massinger, Emperor of the East, i. i.
* Will you please to put off
Your holy habit, and spiced conscience} one,
I think, infects the other.'
Massinger, Bashful Lover, iv. 2.
The origin of the phrase is French. The name of espices (spices) was
given to the fees or dues which were payable (in advance) to judges.
A ' spiced 'judge, who would have a * spiced ' conscience, was scrupulous
and exact, because he had been prepaid, and was inaccessible to any
but large bribes. See Cotgrave, s. v. espices ; Littre, s. v. epice ; and,
in particular, Les CEuvres de Guillaume Coquillart, ed. P. Tarb^, t. i.
p. 31, and t. ii. p. 114. (First explained by me in a letter to The
Athenaeum, Nov. 26, 1892, p. 741.)
527. ' But the teaching of Christ and his twelve apostles, that
taught he.'
528. Cf. Acts, i. I ; Gower, Conf. Amant. ii. 188.
The Plowman.
529. Plowman \ not a hind or farm-labourer, but a poor farmer, who
himself held the plough ; cf. note to P. Plowman, C. viii. 182. li'as,
who was.
530. y-lad, carried, lit. led. Cf. prov. E. lead, to cart (com).
531. jw/w/t^-r, toiler, workman ; see 1. 186. Cf. szvink, toil, in 1. 540.
534. though him gamed or smerie, though it was pleasant or
unpleasant to him.
536. dyke, make ditches, delve, dig ; A. S. del/an. Chaucer may be
referring to P. Plowman, B. v. 552, 553.
541. 7?iere. People of quality would not ride upon a mare.
The Miller.
545. carl, fellow ; I eel. karl, cognate with A. S. ceorl,2L churl. See
A. 3469; also A. 1423-4. This description of the Miller should be
compared with that in A. 3925-3940.
48 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group A.
547. ' That well proved (to be true) ; for everywhere, where he
came.'
548. the ram. This was the usual prize at wrestling-matches.
Tyrwhitt says— ' Matthew Paris mentions a wrestling- match at West-
minster, A.D. 1222, at which a ram was the prize.' Cf. Sir Topas,
B. 1931 ; Tale of Gamelyn, 172, 280.
549. a thikke knarre, a thickly knotted (fellow), i. e. a muscular fellow.
Cf. M. E. hior, Mid. Du. knorre, a knot in wood ; and Y^.gtiarled. It is
worth notice that, in 11. 549-557, there is no word of French origin,
except /////.
550. ofharre, off its hinges, lit. hinge. * I horle at the notes, and heve
hem al ofherre' ; Poem on Singing, in Reliq. Antiquae, ii. 292, Gower
has out ofherre, off its hinges, out of use, out of joint ; Conf. Amant.
bk. ii. ed. Pauli, i. 259; bk. iii. i. 318. Skelton has: — 'AH is out of
harre,' Magnificence, 1. 921. From A.S. heorr, a hinge.
553. Todd cites from l^WXy^s Midas — * How, sir, will you be trimmed ?
Will you have a beard like a spade or a bodkin ?' — Illust. of Gower,
p. 258.
554. cop, top ; A. S. copp, a top ; cf. G. Kopj.
557. nose-ihirles, lit. nose-holes ; mod. E. nostrils.
hh%. forneys. 'Why, asks Mr. Earle, should Chaucer so readily fall
on the simile of a furnace ? What, in the uses of the time, made it come
so ready to hand ? The weald of Kent was then, like our "black country "
now, a great smelting district, its wood answering to our coal ; and
Chaucer was Knight of the Shire, or M.P. for Kent.' — Temporary
Preface to the Six-text edition of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, p. 99.
560. langlere, loud talker.
goliardeys, a ribald jester, one who gained his living by following rich
men's tables, and telling tales and making sport for the guests. Tyrwhitt
says, * This jovial sect seems to have been so called from Golias, the
real or assumed name of a man of wit, towards the end of the twelfth
century, who wrote the Apocalypsis Golise, and other pieces in burlesque
Latin rhymes, some which have been falsely [.''] attributed to Walter
Map.' But it would appear that Golias is the sole invention of
Walter Map, the probable author of the ' Golias ' poems. See Morley's
Eng. Writers, 1888, iii. 167, where we read that the Apocalypse of
Golias and the confession of Golias ' have by constant tradition been
ascribed to him [Walter Map] ; never to any other writer.' Golias is
a medieval spelling of the Goliath of scripture, and occurs in Chaucer,
Man of Lawes Tale, B. 934. In several authors of the thirteenth
century, quoted by Du Cange, the goliardi are classed with the jocii-
latores et btiffones, and it is very likely that the -wordi goliardtts was,
originally, quite independent of Golias, which was only connected with
it by way of jest. The word goliardtis seems rather to have meant,
originally, ' glutton,' and to be connected with gida, the throat ; but it
was quite a common term, in the thirteenth century, for certain men
of some education but of bad repute, who composed or recited satirical
LI. 547-566.] THE MILLER. 49
parodies and coarse verses and epigrams for the amusement of the
rich. See T. Wright's Introduction to the poems of Walter Map
(Camden Soc.) ; P. Plowman, ed. Skeat, note to B. prol. 139 ; Wright's
History of Caricature, ch. x ; and the account in Godefroy's O. French
Diet., s. V. Goliard.
561. that, i.e. his ' langling,' his noisy talk.
harlotrye means scurrility ; Wyclif (Eph. v. 4) so translates Lat.
scurrilitas.
562. 'Besides the usual payment in money for grinding corn, millers
are always allowed what is called "toll," amounting to 4 lbs. out of every
sack of flour.' — Bell. But it can hardly be doubted that, in old times,
the toll was wholly in corn, not in money at all. It amounted, in fact, to
the tAventieth or twenty-fourth part of the corn ground, according to the
strength of the water-course ; see Strutt, .Manners and Customs, ii. 82,
and Nares, s. v. ToU-dish. At Berwick, the miller's share was reckoned
as 'the thirteenth part for grain, and the twenty-fourth part for malt.'
p:ng. Gilds, p. 342. When the miller ' tolled thrice,' he took thrice
the legal allowance. Cf. A. 3939, 3940.
563. a thombe 0/ gold. An explanation of this proverb is given on
the authority of Mr. Constable, the Royal Academician, by Mr. Yanell
in his History of British Fishes, who, when speaking of the Bullhead
or Miller's Thumb, explains that a miller's thumb acquires a peculiar
shape by continually feeling samples of corn whilst it is being
ground ; and that such a thumb is called golden, with reference to the
profit that is the reward of the experienced miller's skill.
'When millers toll not with a golden thumbe.'
Gascoigne's Steel Glass, 1. 1080.
Ray's Proverbs give us—' An honest miller has a golden thumb' ; ed.
1768, p. 136; taken satirically, this means that there are no honest
millers. Brand, in his Pop. Antiquities, ed. Ellis, iii. '})Z'}, quotes from
an old play — ' Oh the mooter dish, the viillcr's Thumbe ! '
The simplest explanation is to take the words just as they stand, i.e.
' he used to steal corn, and take his toll thrice ; yet he had a golden
thumb such as all honest millers are said to have.'
565. W. Thorpe, when examined by Arundel, archbishop of Canter-
bury, in 1407, complains of the pilgrims, saying — 'they will ordain to
have with them both men and women that can well sing wanton songs ;
and some other pilgrims will have with them bagpipes ; so that every
town that they come through, what with the noise of their singing,
and with the sound of their piping, and with the jangling of their
Canterbury bells, and with the barking out of dogs after them, they
make more noise than if the king came there away, with all his clarions
and many other minstrels.' — Arber's Eng. Garner, vi. 84 ; Words-
worth, Eccl. Biography, 4th ed. i. 312; Cutts, Scenes and Characters,
p. 179.
566. 'And with its music he conducted us out of London.'
V -T* •?• 1j»
* * *■
§0 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a.
The Maunciple.
567. Maunciple or manciple, an officer who had the care of purchas-
ing provisions for a college, an inn of court, &c. (Still in use.) See
A. 3993. A temple is here * an inn of court ' ; besides the Inner and
Middle Temple (in London), there was also an Outer Temple ; see
Timbs, Curiosities of London, p. 461 ; and the account of the Temple
in Stow's Survey of London.
568. which, whom.
achatotirs, purchasers ; cf. F. acheter, to buy,
570. took by taille, took by tally, took on credit. Cf. Piers Plowman,
ed. Wright, vol. i. p. 68, and ed. Skeat (Clarendon Press Series), B. iv.
58:-
'And (he) bereth awey my whete,
And taketh me but a taille for ten quarters of otes.'
The buyer who took by tally had the price scored on a pair of sticks;
the seller gave him one of them, and retained the other himself. * Lordis
. . . taken pore mennus goodis and paicn not therfore but white
stickis . . . and sumtyme beten hem whanne thei axen here peye';
Wyclif's Works, ed. Matthew, p. 233 (see note at p. 519).
57 L Algate, in every way, always ; cf prov. Y^.gate, a street.
achat, buying ; see 1. 568.
572. ay bi/orn, ever before (others).
574. S7uich, such ; A. S. swylce. leived, unlearned ; as in 1. 502.
pace^ pass, i.e. surpass.
575. heep, heap, i. e. crowd ; like G. Haufe.
58L ' To make him live upon his own income.'
582. * Unless he were mad.' See 1. 184.
583. * Or live as economically as it pleases him to wish to do.'
584. al a, a whole. Cf. ' all a summer's day ' ; Milton, P. L. 1. 449.
586. hir alter cappe, the caps of them all. Hir alter =eorum.
omnium. * To sette ' a man's ' cappe ' is to overreach him, to cheat him,
or to befool him. Cf. A. 3143.
The Reve.
587. I?e7^e. See Prof. Thorold Rogers' capital sketch of Robert
Oldman, the Cuxham bailiff, a serf of the manor (as reeves always
were), in his Agriculture and Prices in England, i. 506-510.
592. Y-lyk, like, y-sen-e, visible ; see note to 1. 134.
593. ' He knew well how to keep a garner and a bin.'
597. neet, neat, cattle, dayerye, dairy.
598. hors, horses ; pi. See note to 1. 74. pultrye, poultry.
599. hoolly, wholly; from A.S. hal, whole.
60L Sin, short for sithe7i ; and sitJien, with an added suffix, became
sithen-s or sithen-ce, mod. E. since.
LI. 567-623.] THE SOMNOUR. 51
602. ' No one could prove him to be in arrears.'
603. herde^ herd, i. e. cow-herd or shep-herd. hyne, hind, farm-
labourer.
604. That . . . /ii's, whose ; as in A. 2710.
covyne, deceit ; lit. a deceitful agreement between two parties to
prejudice a third. O. F. covine, a project \ from O. F. covefiir, Lat.
conuenire, to come together, agree.
605. adrad, afraid ; from the pp. of A. S. ofdrcedan, to terrify greatly.
the deeth, the pestilence ; see note to 1. 442.
606. luoning, dwelling-place ; see 1. 388.
609. asiored {YA\ts. &c.) ; istored {W;xr\.) ; furnished with stores.
611. lene, lend ; whence E. ien-d. of, some of
613. viister^ trade, craft ; O. F. mesiier (F. nu'tier), business ; Lat.
tnitiisterimn. ' Men of all mysteris' ; Barbour's Bruce, xvii. 542.
614. ivel, very, ivrighie, wright, workman.
615. stot, probably what we should now call a cob. Prof. J. E. T.
Rogers, in his Hist, of Agriculture, i. 36, supposes that a stot was
a low-bred undersized stallion. It frequently occurs with the sense of
' bullock ' ; see not-e to P. Plowman, C. xxii. 267.
616. Sir Topas's horse was ' dappel-gray,' which has the same sense
us pofiiely gray, viz. gray dappled with round apple-like spots. ' Apon
a cowvsowxQ pouDiIe-grtiy' ; Wyntown, Chron. iv. 217 ; *■ pom ly- gray' ;
Palladius on Husbandry, bk. iv. 1. 809; 'Upon a pomely palfray ' ;
Lybeaus Disconus, 844 (in Ritson's Metrical Romances). Florio gives
Ital. pomellato, ' pide, daple-graie.' The word occurs in the French
Roman de Troie by Bcnoit de Sainte-Maure, ed. Joly, 10722: —
'Quant Troylus orent monte Sor un cheval sor pomineU? Cf. G. 559.
Scot. 'The name given to the horse of the reeve (who lived at
Bawdeswell, in Norfolk) is a curious instance of Chaucer's accuracy ;
for to this day there is scarcely a farm in Norfolk or Suffolk, in which
one of the horses is not called Scot ' ; Bell's Chaucer. Cf. G. 1543.
617. pers. Some MSS. read bltiu. See note on 1. 439.
621. Ttikked aboute, with his long coat tucked up round him by
help of a girdle. In the pictures in the Ellesmere MS., both the
reeve and the friar have girdles, and rather long coats; cf. D. 1737.
' He (i. e. a friar) wore a graie cote ■Wfll tucked vnder his corded
girdle, with a paire of trime white hose'; W. Bullein, A Dialogue
against the Feuer (E. E. T. S.), p. 68. See Ttick in Skeat, Etym. Diet.
622. hind-r-este, hindermost ; a curious form, combining both the
comparative and superlative suffi.xes. Cf. ov-er-est, 1. 290.
The Somnour.
623. Somnotir, summoner ; an officer employed to summon delin-
quents to appear in ecclesiastical courts ; now called an apparitor.
* The ecclesiastical courts . . . determined all causes matrimonial and
testamentary. . . . They had besides to enforce the payment of tithes
£ 2
52 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a.
and church dues, and were charged with disciplinary power for
punishment of adultery, fornication, perjury, and other vices which
did not come under the common law. The reputation of the sum-
vumer is enough to show how abuses pervaded the action of these
courts. Prof Stubbs has summed up the case concerning them in his
Constitutional History, iii. yjj,^ — Wyclifs Works, ed. Matthew, note
at p. 514. For further information as to the summoner's character,
see the Frere's Tale, U. 1 299-1 374.
624. cherubiftncs face. H. Stephens, Apologiefor Herodotus, i. c. 30,
quotes the same thought from a French epigram — ' Nos grands docteurs
ail chefubtn visage.' — T. Observe that chertibin (put for cherubim) is
a plural form. * As the pi. was popularly much better known than the
singular (e.g. in the Te Deum), the Romanic forms were all fashioned
on cheriibin, \\z. Ital. cherubino. Span, gtierubin, Port, guertebin,
cJierubin, F. chcriibin' ; New English Dictionary. Cherubs were
generally painted red, a fact which became proverbial, as here. Cot-
grave has: ^ Rouge comvie un cherubin^ red-faced, cherubin-faced,
having a fierie facies like a Cherubin.' Mrs. Jameson, in her Sacred
and Legendary Art, has unluckily made the cherubim bhie, and
the seraphim 7ed\ the contrary was the accepted rule.
625. sawceflccni or sawsjleeiii, ha\ing a red pimpled face ; lit.
afflicted with pimples, &c., supposed to be caused by too much salt
phlegm {sa/sum pJilcgma) in the constitution. The four humours of
the blood, and the four consequent temperaments, are constantly
referred to in various ways by early writers — by Chaucer as much as
by any. Tyrvvhitt quotes from an O. French book on physic (in MS.
Bodley 761) — ' Gignement magistrel Y>^r sausejleme et pur chescune
manere de roigtie, where roigne signifies any scorbutic eruption. * So
(he adds) in the Thousand Notable Things, B. i. 70— "A sawsjieaine
or red pimpled face is helped with this medicine following : " — two of
the ingredients are quicksilver and brimstone. In another place,
B. ii. 20, oyle of tartar is said " to take away cleane all spots, freckles,
and filthy ivlieaies."' He also quotes, in his Glossary, from MS.
Bodley 2463 — 'unguentum contra salsuvi flegtiia, scabiem, &c.'
FlewJiie in the Prompt. Parv. answers to Ijs^.. phlegma. See the long
note by J. Addis in N. and O. 4 S. iv. 64; Babees Book, ed.
Furnivall, p. 169, 1. 'JTJ. 'The Greke word that he vsed was t^avOi^-
ixara, that is, little pimples or pushes, soche as, of cholere and salse
flegme, budden out in the noses and faces of many persones, and are
called the Saphires and Rubies of the Tauerne.'— Udall, tr. of Eras-
mus' Apophthegmes, Diogenes, § 6: [printed false flegme in ed.
1877.] See 1. 420.
627. scalled, having the scall or scab, scabby, scurfy. i)iake, black.
piled, deprived of hair, thin, slight. Cf. E. peel, vb. Palsgrave
has— ' Pj'lled, as one that wanteth heare' ; and ' Pylled, scal[l]ed.'
C29. litarge, litharge, a name given to white lead.
630. Boras, borax.
LI. 634-662.] THE SOMNOUR. 53
ceruce, ceruse, a cosmetic made from white lead ; see New E. Diet.
oille 0/ iar/re, cream of tartar ; potassium bitartrate.
632. Cf. * Such whelkes [on the head] haue small hoales, out of the
which matter commeth. . . . And this euill commeth of vicious and
gleymie [viscous] humour, which commeth to the skin of their head,
and breedeth therein pimples and luhelks.^ — Batman on Bartholom6,
lib. 7. c. 3. In the same, lib. 7. c. 67, we read that ' A sauce Jluine face
is a priuye signe of leprosie.' Cf. Shak. Hen. V. iii. 6. 108.
635. See Prov. xxxiii. 31. The drinking of strong wine accounts
for the Somnour's appearance. 'Wyne . . . makith the uisage sake
Jleuined \m\%^x\vL\^^ fake Jlemed^ rede, and fulle of luhite whelkes'' \
Knight de la Tour, p. 116 (perhaps copied from Chaucer).
643. Can ckpen Watte, i.e. can call Walter (Wat) by his name ; just
as parrots are taught to say * Poll.' In Political Songs, ed. Wright,
p. 328, an ignorant priest is likened to a jay in a cage, to which is
added : ' Go[o]d Engelish he speketh, ac {but'l he wot nevere what ' ;
referring to the time when Anglo-French was the mother-tongue of
many who became priests.
644. ' But if any one could test him in any other point.'
646. Questto quid iuris. ' This kind of question occurs frequently
in Ralph de Hengham. After having stated a case, he adds, quid
juris, and then proceeds to give an answer to it.' — T. It means —
'the question is, what law (is there).-" i.e. what is the law on this
point .''
647. harlot, fellow, usually one of low conduct ; but originally
merely a young person, without implication of reproach. See D. 1754.
649. ' For a bribe of a quart of wine, he would allow a boon com-
panion of his to lead a vicious life for a whole year, and entirely
excuse him ; moreover (on the other hand) he knew \ery well how to
pluck a finch,' i.e. how to get all the feathers off any inexperienced
person whom it was worth his while to cheat. Cf. ^ a. puked hen' in
1. 177. With reference to the treatment of the poor by usurers, &c.,
we read in the Rom. of the Rose, 1. 6820, that 'Withoute scalding
they hem puke,' i.e. pluck them. And see Troil. i. 210.
654-7. * He would teach his friend in such a case (i.e. if his friend
led an evil life) to stand in no awe of the archdeacon's curse (excom-
munication), unless he supposed that his soul resided in his purse ; for
in his purse [not in his soul] he should be punished' (i.e. by paying
a good round sum he could release himself from the archdeacon's
curse). 'Your purse (said he) is the hell to which the archdeacon
really refers when he threatens you.' See, particularly, Wyclifs
Works, ed. Matthew, pp. 35, 62, 496.
661. assoiking, absolution ; from the vb. assoil.
662. war httn of, i.e. let him beware of; war is the pres. subj.
significavit, i.e. of a writ de excoinniuiiicato capiendo [or excom-
munication] which usually began, ' Significavit nobis venerabilis frater,'
&c. — T. See Significavit in Cowel or Blount.
54 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a.
663. In daunger, within his jurisdiction, within the reach or control
of his office ; the true sense of M. E. datinger is ' control ' or * dominion.'
Thus, in the Romaunt of the Rose, 1. 1470, we find :—
'Narcisus was a bachelere,
That Love had caught in his daungere!
i.e. whom Love had got into his power. So also in 1. 1049 of the
same.
664. yonge girles, young people, of either sex. In the Coventry
Mysteries, p. 181, there is mention of 'knave gerlys,' i.e. male children.
And see gerles in the Gloss, to P. Plowman, and the note to the same,
C. ii. 29.
665. and was al hir reed, and was wholly their adviser.
666. 6G7. gerland. A garland for an ale-stake was distinct from
a bush. The latter was made of ivy-leaves ; and every tavern had
an ivy-bush hanging in front as its sign ; hence the phrase, * Good
wine needs no bush,' &c. But the garland, often used in addition to
the bush, was made of three equal hoops, at right angles to each other,
and decorated with ribands. It was also called a hoop. The sompnour
wore only a single hoop or circlet, adorned with lai'ge flowers (ap-
parently roses), according to his picture in the EUesmere M S. Emelye,
in the Knightes Tale, is described as gathering white and red flowers
to make * a sotil gerland ' for her head ; A. 1054. ' Garlands of flowers
were often worn on festivals, especially in ecclesiastical processions ' ;
Rock, Church of our Fathers, ii. 72. Some garlands, worn on the head,
were made of metal ; see Riley, Memorials of London, p. 133.
667. ale-stoke, a support for a garland in front of an ale-house. For
a picture of an ale-stake with a garland, see Hotten's Book of Sign-
boards. The position of it was such that it did not stand upright, but
projected horizontally from the side of a tavern at some height from
the ground, as shewn in Larwood and Hotten's Book of Signboards.
Hence the enactments made, that it should never extend above the
roadway for more than seven feet ; see Liber Albus, ed. H. T. Riley,
1861, pp. 292, 389. Speght wrongly explained ale-stake as 'a May-
pole,' and has misled many others, including Chatterton, who thus was
led to write the absurd line — '■Around the ale-stake minstrels sing the
song ' ; /Ella, st. 30. ' At the ale-stake ' is correct ; see C. 321.
The Pardoner.
669. As to the character of the Pardoner, see further in the Par-
doner's Prologue, C. 329-462 ; P. Plowman, B. prol. 68-82; Heywood's
Interlude of the Four Ps, which includes a shameless plagiarism from
Chaucer's Pardoner's Prologue ; and Sir David Lyndesay's Satire of
the Three Estaits, 1. 2037. Cf. note to C. 349. See also the Essay on
Chaucer's Pardoner and the Pope's Pardoners, by Dr. J. Jusserand, in
the Essays on Chaucer (Chaucer Society), p. 423 ; and the Chapter on
LI. 663-683. THE PARDONER.
55
Pardoners in Jusserand's English Wayfaring Life, Jusserand shews
that Chaucer has not in the least exaggerated ; for exaggeration was
not possible.
670. Of Roiincival. Of course the Pardoner was an Englishman, so
that he could hardly belong to Roncevaux, in Navarre. The reference
is clearly to the hospital of the Blessed Mary of Rouncyvalle, in the
parish of St. Martin in the Fields, at Charing (London), mentioned in
Dugdale's Monasticon, ii. 443. Stow gives its date of foundation as
the 15th year of Edward IV., but this was only a revival of it, after it
had been suppressed by Henry V. It was a 'cell' to the Priory of
Roncevaux in Navarre. See Todd's Illustrations of Gower, p. 263:
and Rouncival in Nares. Cf. note to 1. 172.
672. Coin JiideVy love, to vie. ' This, I suppose, was the beginning or
the burthen of some known song.' — Tyrwhitt. It is quoted again in
1. 763 of the poem called ' The Pearl,' in the form — ' Come hyder to me,
my lemman swcte.' /ii'c/er, hither.
The rime of /o me with R6)ne should be particularly noted, as it
enables even the reader who is least skilled in English phonology to
perceive that Ro-mc was really dissyllabic, and that the final c in such
words was really pronounced. Similarly, in Octouian Imperator, ed.
AVeber, 1. 1887, we find scint Ja-inc, riming \s'\\.\\ frd me (from me).
Perhaps the most amusing example of editorial incompetence is seen
in the frequent occurrenc^of the mysterious word byme in Pauli's
edition of Gower ; as, e.g. in bk. iii. vol. i. p. 370 : —
* So woll I nought, that any time
Be lost, of that thou hast do byme!
Of course, by me should have been printed as two words, riming with
ti-mi. This is what happens when grammatical facts are ignored.
Time is dissyllabic, because it represents the A. S. tima, which is never
reduced to a monosyllable in A. S.
673. bar . . . a stif btirdoun, sang the bass. See A. 4165, and
N. and O. 4 S. vi. 117, 255. Cf. Yx. bourdon, the name of a deep
organ-stop.
675, 676. wex, wax. /teng, hung, stryke o/Jlex, hank of flax. •
677. By ounces, in small portions or thin clusters.
679. colpons, portions ; the same word as mod. E. coupon.
680. y^r lolitee, for greater comfort. He thought it pleasanter to
wear only a cap (1. 683J. ivcred, wore ; see 1. 75. Cf. G. 571, and the
note.
C82. the neive let, the new fashion, which is described in 11. 680-683.
' Also, there is another newe gette,
A foule waste of clothe and excessyfe,
There goth no lesse in a mannes typette
Than of brode cloth a yerde, by my lyfe.'
Hoccleve, De Regim. Principum, p. 17.
* Newe lettc, guise nouelle ' ; Palsgrave.
56 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a.
683. Dischevele, with his hair hanging loose.
685. verniclc, a small copy of the ' vernicle ' at Rome. Vernicle is
* a diminutive of Verotii/ce (Veronica), a copy in miniature of the
picture of Christ, which is supposed to have been miraculously im-
printed upon a handkerchief preserved in the church of St. Peter at
Rome. . . It was usual for persons returning from pilgrimages to bring
with them certain tokens of the several places which they had visited ;
and therefore the Pardoner, who is just arrived from Rome, is repre-
sented with a vernicle sowed on his capped- — Tyrwhitt. See the descrip-
tion of a pilgrim in Piers Plowman, ed. Skeat, B. v. 530, and the note.
The legend was invented to explain the name. First the name of
Bernice, taken from the Acts, was assigned to the woman who was
cured by Christ of an issue of blood. Next, Bernice, otherwise
Veronica, was (wrongly) explained as meaning vera icon (i.e. true
likeness), which was assigned as the name of a handkerchief on which
the features of Christ were miraculously impressed. Copies of this
portrait were called Veronicae or Veroniculae, in English vernicles,
and were obtainable by pilgrims to Rome. There was also a later
St. Veronica, who died in 1497, after Chaucer's time, and whose day
is Jan. 13.
See Legends of the Holy Rood, ed. Morris, pp. 170, 171 ; Mrs.
Jameson's Sacred and Legendary Art, ii. 269 ; Lady Eastlake's History
of our Lord, i. 41 ; Rock, Church of our Fathers, iii. pt. i. p. 438; and
the picture of the vernicle in Chambers, Book of Days, i. loi.
687. Bret-fid of pardon, brim-full (top-full, full to the top) of indul-
gences. Cf. Swed. brciddfull, brimful ; from brddd, a brim. See
A. 2164 ; Ho. of Fame, 2123.
692. fro Beriuik, from Berwick to Ware (in Hertfordshire), from
North to South of England. See the similar phrase— * From Barwick
to Dover, three hundred miles over '—in Pegge's Kenticisms (E.D.S.),
p. 70.
694. niale^ bag ; cf. E. 7nai/-hag.
pilwebeer^ pillow-case. Cf. Low. G. biiren, a case (for a pillow), Icel.
ver^ Dan. vaar, a cover for a pillow. The form pillow-bear occurs as
a Cheshire word as late as 1782 ; N. and Q. 6 S. xii. 217.
696. gobet, a small portion ; O. Y.gobet, a morsel ; gober, to devour.
698. hente, caught hold of; from A.S. henian, to seize.
699. ' A cross made of latoun, set full of (probably counterfeit) pre-
cious stones.' Laioicn was a mixed metal, of the same colour as, and
closely resembling, the modern metal called pinchbeck, from the name
of the inventor. It was chiefly composed of copper and zinc. See
further in the note to C. 350 ; and cf. F. 1245.
701. Cf. Wyclifs Works, ed. Matthew, p. 154; and the note to
c. 349.
702. up-on lond, in the country. Country people used to be called
uplondish vicn. Jack Upland is the name of a satire against the friars.
705, 706. Japes, deceits, tricks, his apes, his dupes ; cf. A. 3389.
LI. 683-744] CHAUCER'S APOLOGY. 57
710. alder-best, best of all ; alder is a later form of alter, from A.S.
ealra, of all, gen. pi. of eal, all. See 11. 586, 823.
712, affyle, file down, make smooth. Cf. 'affile His tunge'; Gower,
C. A. i. 296; 'gan newe his tunge affyle,' Troil. ii. 1681; 'his
tongue [is] yf/^^/'; Love's Labour's Lost, v. i. 12. So also Spenser,
F. Q. i. I. 35 ; iii. 2. 12 ; Skelton, Colin Clout, 852.
Chaucer's Apology.
716. Thestat, tharray = the estate, the array : the coalescence of the
article with the noun is very common in !\Iiddle English.
719. highte, was named ; cf. A.S. hCitan, (i) to call, (2) to be called,
to be named (with a passive sense).
721. * How we conducted ourselves that same night.'
726. ' That ye ascribe it not to my ill-breeding.' tiarc/le, for ne arctte.
From O.F. arefter, to ascribe, impute ; from Lat. ad ?ind reputare ; see
Aret in the New E. Diet. Also spelt arate, with the sense ' to chide ' ;
whence mod. E. to rate. So here the poet implies — * do not rate me
for my ill-breeding.' The argument here used is derived from Le
Roman de la Rose, 15361-96.
727. pieynly speke (Elles. &c.) ; speke al pleyn (Harl.).
7.SI. shal telle, has to tell, after, according to, just like.
734. Al speke he, although he speak. See al have /, 1. 744.
738. ' He is bound to say one word as much as another.'
741, 742. This saying of Plato is taken from Boethius, De Consola-
tione, bk. iii. pr. 12, which Chaucer translates: 'Thou hast lerned by
the sentence of Plato, that nedes the wordes moten be cosines to the
thinges of which they speken' ; see vol. ii. p. 90, 1. 151. In Le Roman
de la Rose, 7131, Jean de Meun says that Plato tells us, speech was
given us to express our wishes and thoughts, and proceeds to argue
that men ought to use coarse language. Chaucer was thinking of this
singular argument. We also find in Le Roman (1. 15392) an exactly
parallel passage, which means in English, 'the saying ought to
resemble the deed ; for the words, being neighbours to the things,
ought to be cousins to their deeds.' In the original French, these
passages stand thus : —
' Car Platon disoit en s'escole
Que donnee nous fu parole
For faire nos voloirs entendre,
Por enseignier et por aprendre ' ; &c.
' Li dis doit le fait resembler ;
Car Ics vois as choses voisines
Doivent estre a lor faiz cousines.'
So also in the Manciple's Tale, H. 208.
744. * Although I have not,' &c. Cf. 1. 734.
58 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a.
The Host.
747. Our lioste. It has been remarked that from this character
Shakespeare's ' mine host of the Garter ' in the Merry Wives of
Windsor is obviously derived.
752. The duty of the ' marshal of the hall ' was to place every one
according to his rank at public festivals, and to preserve order. See
Babees Book, p. 310. Cf. Spenser, F. Q. v. 9. 23 ; Gower, Conf. Amant.
jii. 299. Even Milton speaks of a 'warj/m//'^/ feast '; P. L. ix. 37.
753. stepe, bright; see note to 1. 201.
754. Chepe, i. e. Cheapside, in London.
760. maad ourrekeninges, i.e. paid our scores.
764. / saugh nat (Elles. &c.) ; I 7ie saugh (Harl.). To scan the
line, read / «' saugh, dropping the e in ne. The insertion of ne is
essential to the sense, viz. ' I have not seen.'
.765. herberwe, inn, lit. harbour. The F. auberge is from the O.H.G.
form of the same word.
770. ' May the blessed martyr duly reward you ! '
772. shapeft yow, intend ; cf 1. 809. talen, to tell tales.
777. yoiu lyketh alle, it pleases you all ; yoiv is in the dat. case, as
in the mod. E. ^Myou please.' See note to 1. yj.
783. * Hold up your hands ' ; to signify assent.
785. to make it ivysy to make it a matter of wisdom or deliberation ;
so also viade it strange, made it a matter of difficulty, A. 3980.
79L *To shorten your way with.' In AL E., the prep, ici/h always
comes next the verb in phrases of this character. Most MSS. read
our {or your here, but this is rather premature. The host introduces
his proposal to accompany the pilgrims by the use of our in I. 799, and
"we in I. 801 ; the proposal itself comes in 1. 803.
792. As to the number of the tales, see vol. iii. pp. 374, 384.
798. ' Tales best suited to instruct and amuse.'
799. our alter cost, the expense of us all ; here our = A. S. fire, of us ;
see 11. 710, 823.
808. 7110, more; A. S. via. In M. E., 7110 generally means 'more in
number,' whilst 77iore means ' larger,' from A. S. 7/id?-a. Cf. 1. 849.
810. a7id our othes swore, and %ve swore our oaths ; see next line.
817. 1/i heigh a7id loive. ' Lat. hi, or de alto et basso, Fr. de haut e7t
bas, were expressions of entire submission on one side, and sovereignty
on the other.' — Tyrwhitt. Cotgrave (s. v. Bas) has : — ' Taillables haut
et bas, taxable at the will and pleasure of their lord.' It here means —
' under all circumstances.'
819. fet, fetched ; from A. S./etia/i, to fetch, ^-^./etod.
822. day. It is the morning of the 17th of April. See note to 1. I.
823. our alter cok, cock of us all, i. e. cock to awake us all. our
alter =A..S. fire ealra, both in gen. pi.
825. ridc7i, rode ; pt. t. pi., as in 1. 856. The / is short.
pas, a foot-pace. Cf. A. 2897 ; C. 866 ; G. 575 ; Troil. ii. 627.
LI. 747-856.] THE HOST. 59
826. St. Thomas a Wa/crtngs was a place for watering horses, at a
brook beside the second mile-stone on the road to St. Thomas's shrine,
i.e. to Canterburj'. It Mas a place anciently used for executions in the
county of Surrey, as Tyburn was in that of Middlesex. See Nares,
s. V. Waterings.
828. if yow lesie, if it may please you. The verb lisft'ti made lisle in
the past tense ; but Chaucer changes the verb to the form lestcn, pt. t.
leste, probably for the sake of the rime. See 11. 750 and 102. In
the Knightes Tale, A. 1052, as hir liste rimes with uprisle.
The true explanation is, that the A. S.y had the sound of mod. G. «.
In Mid. Eng., this was variably treated, usually becoming either /or
u\ so that, e.g., the X.S. pyi {a. pit) became M.E.pit or put, the
former of which has survived. But, in Kentish, the form was^f/;
and it is remarkable that Chaucer sometimes deliberately adopts
Kentish forms, as here, for the sake of the rime. A striking example
is seen in fulfelle for fiilfille, in Troil. iii. 510, to rime with telle. He
usually \\di%fulfille^ as below, in A. 1318, 2478.
829. Ye luoflt, ye know. Really false grammar, as the pi. of ivoot
(originally a past tense) is properly «'//r«, just as the pi. oirood is 7ideii
in 1. 825. As ivoot was used as a present tense, its original form was
forgotten. ' Ye know your agreement, and I recall it to your memory.'
See 1. i^.
830. ' If 'even-song and matins agree ' ; i.e. if you still say now what
you said last night.
832. ' As ever may I be able to drink ' ; i.e. As surely as I ever
hope to be able, &c. Cf. B. 4490, (Sec.
833. be^ may be (subjunctive mood).
835. draweih cut, draw lots ; see C. 793-804. The Gloss, to Allan
Ramsay's poems, ed. 1721, has — ^ cults, lots. These cuts are usually
made of straws unequally cut, which one hides between his finger
and thumb, whilst another draws his fate'; but the verb to cut is
unallied. See Brand, Pop. Antiq., iii. 337. The one who drew the
shortest (or else the longest) straw was the one who drew the lot. Cf.
' Sors, a kut, or a lotte' ; Reliquiae Antiquae, i. 7. 'After supper, we
drew cuites for a score of apricoks, the longest cut stil to draw an
apricoke ' ; I^Iarston, Induction to The Malcontent.
ferrer tivinne, depart further. Here /errer is the comp. oi fer, far.
Twinnen is to separate, part in twain ; hence, to depart.
844. sort, lot, destiny ; O. F. sort; cf. E. sort.
847. as was resoun, as was reasonable or right.
848. fonvard, agreement, as in 1. 33. compositioioi has almost exactly
the same sense, but is of French origin.
853. shal biginne, have to begin.
854. What; used interjectionally, like the modern E. 'why! '
a, in. Here a is for an, a form o{ on ; the A. S. on is constantly used
with the sense of 'in.'
856. riden, rodej pt. pi. See 1. 825.
6o
NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a.
The Knightes Tale.
For general remarks on this tale, see vol. iii. p. 389.
It is only possible to give here a mere general idea of the way in
which the Knightes Tale is related to the Teseide of Boccaccio. The
following table gives a sketch of it, but includes many lines wherein
Chaucer is quite original. The references to the Knightes Tale are
to the lines of group A (as in the text) ; those to the Teseide are to
the books and stanzas.
Kn. Tale.
865-883
893-1027
I030-1274
1361-1448
1451-1479
1545-1565
1638-1641
1668-1739
18 1 2-1 860
1887-2022
2102-2206
2222-2593
2600-2683
2684-2734
2735-2739
2743-2808
2809-2962
2967-3102
Teseide.
I. and II.
II. 2-5, 25-95.
III. i-ii, 14-20,47, 51-54, 75.
IV. 26-29, 59-
V. 1-3, 24-27, iz-
IV. 13, 14,31,85,84, 17,82.
VII. 106, 119.
V. 77-91.
V. 92-98.
VII. 108-110, 50-64, 29-37.
VI. 71, 14-22, 65-70, 8.
VII. 43-49, 68-93, 23-41, 67, 95-
99, 7-13, 131, 132, 14,
100-102, 113-118, 19.
VIII. 2-131.
IX. 4-61.
XII. 80, 83.
X. 12-112.
XI. 1-67.
XII. 3-19, 69-83.
The MSS. quote a line and a half from Statius, Thebaid, xii. 519,
520, because Chaucer is referring to that passage in his introductory
lines to this tale ; see particularly 11. 866, 869, 870.
There is yet another reason for quoting this scrap of Latin, viz. that
it is also quoted in the Poem of Anelida and Arcite, at 1. 22, where the
'Story' of that poem begins ; and 11. 22-25 of Anelida give a fairly
close translation of it. From this and other indications, it appears
that Chaucer first of all imitated Boccaccio's Teseide (more or less
closely) in the poem which he himself calls ' Palamon and Arcite,' of
which but scanty traces exist in the original form ; and this poem was
in 7-line stanzas. He afterwards recast the whole, at the same time
changing the metre ; and the result was the Knightes Tale, as we here
have it. Thus the Knightes Tale is not derived immediately from
Boccaccio or from Statius, but iJu-ough the medium of an older poem
LI. 859-866.} THE KNIGHTES TALE. 6i
of Chaucer's own composition. Fragments of the same poem were
used by the author in other compositions ; and the result is, that the
Teseide of Boccaccio is the source of (i) sixteen stanzas in the
Parliament of Foules ; (2) of part of the first ten stanzas in Anclida ;
(3) of three stanzas near the end of Troilus (Tes. xi. 1-3) ; as well as
of the original Palamon and Arcite and of the Knightes Tale.
Hence it is that 11. 859-874 and 11. 964-981 should be compared with
Chaucer's Anelida, 11. 22-46, as printed in vol. i. p. 366. Lines 082
and 972 are borrowed from that poem with but slight alteration.
859. The lines from Statius, Theb. xii. 519-22, to which reference is
made in the heading, relate to the return of Theseus to Athens after
his conquest of Hippolytfl, and are as follows : —
lamque domos patrias, Scythicae post aspera gcntis
Proelia, laurigero subeuntem Thesea curru
Laetifici plausus, missusque ad sidera uulgi
Clamor, et emeritis hilaris tuba nuntiat armis.'
860. Theseus, the great legendary hero of Attica, is the subject of
Boccaccio's poem named after him the Teseide. He is also the hero
of the Legend of Ariadne, as told in Chaucer's Legend of Good Women.
After deserting Ariadne, he succeeded his father Aegeus as king of
Athens, and conducted an expedition against the Amazons, from which
he returned in triumph, having carried off their queen Antiope, here
named Hippolyta.
8GL govertiour. It should be observed that Chaucer continually
accents words of Anglo-French origin in the original manner, viz. on
the last ox on \.\\q penulttinate syllable. Thus we have hert govertiour
and conquerSiir ; in 1. 865, chivalry -e ; in 1. 869, contrce ; in 1. 876,
viancre, (Sic. The most remarkable examples are when the words end
in -oun (11. 893, 935).
864. contree is here accented on the first syllable ; in 1. 869, on the
last. This is a good example of the unsettled state of the accents of
such words in Chaucer's time, which afforded him an opportunity of
licence, which he freely uses. In fact, contree shows the English, and
cofttrtfe, the French accent.
865. chivahye, knightly exploits. In 1. 878, chivalrye means
* knights ' ; mod. E. chivalry. So also in 1. 9S2.
866. regne of Fevtenye, the kingdom (Lat. rcgjiutn) of the Amazons.
Fetnenye is from Lat. feinina, a woman. Cf. Statius, Theb. xii. 578.
'Amazonia, womens land, is a Country, parte in Asia and parte in
Europa, and is nigh Albania ; and hath that name of Amazonia of
women that were the wives of the men that were called Goths, the
which men went out of the nether Scithia, as Isidore seith, li. 9.' —
Batman upon Bartholom^, lib. xv. c. 12. Cf. Higden's Polychronicon,
lib. i. cap. xviii ; and Gower, Conf. Amant., ii. 73 : —
' Pentasilee,
Which was the quene of Feminee.'
62 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a.
867. Sciihea, Scythia. Cf. Scyihicae in the quotation from Statius
in note to 1. 859.
868. IpoUta,^\\?^iQ.?,^(i2ix€?, Hippolyta,\n M ids. Night's Dream. The
name is in Statius, Theb. xii. 534, spelt Hippolyte.
880. In this line, Atkefies seems to mean ' Athenians,' though else-
where it means * Athens.' At/u'nes is trisyllabic.
884. tempest. As there is no mention of a tempest in Boccaccio,
Tyrwhitt proposed to alter the reading to temple, as there is some
mention of Theseus offering in the temple of Pallas. But it is very
unlikely that this would be alluded to by the mere word temple ; and
we must accept the reading tempest^ as in all the seven MSS. and in
the old editions.
I think the solution is to be found by referring to Statius. Chaucer
seems to have remembered that a tempest is there described (Theb.
xii. 650-5), but to have forgotten that it is merely introduced by way
of simile. In fact, when Theseus determines to attack Creon (see
1. 960), the advance of his host is likened by Statius to the effect of
a tempest. The lines are : —
'Qualis Hyperborcos ubi nubilus institit axes
lupiter, et prima tremefecit sidera bruma,
Rumpitur Aeolia, et longam indignata quietem
Tollit hiems animos, uentosaque sibilat Arctos ;
Tunc montes undaeque fremunt, tunc proelia caesis
Nubibus, et tonitrus insanaque fulmina gaudent.'
885. as noiv, at present, at this time. Cf. the M.E. adverbs as-swithe^
as-sone^ immediately. From the Rom. de la Rose, 21479 •""
'Ne vous voil or ci plus tenir,
A mon propos m'estuet venir,
Qu' autre champ me convient arer.*
889. I wol not letten eek noon of this route, I desire not to hinder eke
(also) none of all this company. Wol = desire ; cf. ' I will have
mercy,' <Src.
890. aboute, i. e. in his turn, one after the other ; corr'esponding to
the sense 'in rotation, in succession,' given in the New English
Dictionary. This sense of the word in this passage was pointed out
by Dr. Kolbing in Engl. Studien, ii. 531. He instanced a similar use
of the word in the Ormulum, 1. 550, where the sense is—' and ay, when-
soever that flock of priests, being twenty-four in number, had all served
once about in the temple.'
901. creature is here a word of three syllables. In 1. 1 106 it hz-sfottr
syllables.
903. fiolde, would not : the A. S. nolde is the pt. t. of 7iyllan,
equivalent to ne willaii, not to wish ; cf. Lat. noluit, from nolle.
ste?iten, stop. * It stinted, and said aye.' — Romeo and Juliet, i. 3. 48.
908. that thtis, i. e. ye that thus.
911. clothed thus {YA\t5.) ; clad thus al (U^rl).
LI. 867-977.] THE KNIGHTES TALE. 63
912. alle is to be pronounced al-li. Tyrwhitt inserts than, then,
after alle, against the authority of the best MSS. and of the old
editions.
Statius (Theb. xii. 545) calls this lady Capaneia com'ux; see 1. 932,
below. He says all the ladies were from Argos, and their husbands
were kings.
913. a deedly chere, a deathly countenance or look.
918, we biseken, we beseech, ask for. For such double forms as beseken
and besechen, cf. mod. Eng. dike and diich, kirk and chirch, sack and
satchel, stick and stitch. In the Early Eng. period the harder forms with
k were very frequently employed by Northern writers, who preferred
them to the palatalised Southern forms (perhaps influenced by Anglo-
French) with ch. Cf. M. E. brig and rigg with bridge and ridge.
926. This line means ' that ensureth no estate to be (always) good.'
Suggested by Boethius ; see bk. ii. pr. 2. 11. 37-41 (vol, ii. p. 27).
928. Clemence, Clemency, Pity. Suggested by ' il tempio . . . di Cle-
menza,' Tes. ii. 1 7 ; which again is from ' mitls posuit dementia sedem,'
Theb. xii. 482.
932, Capafteus, one of the seven heroes who besieged Thebes : struck
dead by lightning as he was scaling the walls of the city, because he had
defied Zeus ; Theb. x. 927, See note to 1. 912, above.
937. The celebrated siege of ' The Seven against Thebes ' ; Capaneus
being one of the seven kings.
941. for despyt, out of vexation ; mod. E, * for spite.'
942. To do the dede bodyes vileinye, to treat the dead bodies shame-
fully.
948. withouten jnore respyt, without longer delay.
949. They filCen grttf, they fell flat with the face to the ground. In
M. E. we find the phrase to fall groifelinges or to fall groveling. See
Grufynge and Ogrufe in the Catholicon Anglicum, and the editor's
notes, pp. 166, 259.
954. Hivithoiighte, it seemed to him ; cf. methinks, it seems to me.
In M. E, the verbs like, list, seem, rue (pity), are used impersonally,
and take the dative case of the pronoun. Cf. the modem expression
' if you please ' = if it be pleasing to you.
955, mat, dejected. ' Ententyfly, not feynt, wery ne mate.^ — Hardyng,
p. 129. — M.
^^(). ferforthly, \.t. far-forth-like, to such an extent.
965, abood, delay, awaiting, abiding.
966. His bafier he desplayeth, i. e, he summons his troops to assemble
for militar)' service.
968. No neer, no nearer. Accent Athen-es on the second syllable ;
but in 1. 973 it is accented on they?r^/.
970. lay, lodged for the night.
975. statue, the image, as depicted on the banner.
977. feeldes, field, is an heraldic term for the ground upon which the
various charges, as they are called, are emblazoned. Some of this
64 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a.
description was suggested by the Thebais, lib. xii. 665, «S:c. ; but the
resemblance is very slight.
978. penoitn, pennon, y-bete, beaten ; the gold being hammered out
into a thin foil in the shape of the Minotaur ; see Marco Polo, ed. Yule,
i. 344. But, in the Thebais, the Minotaur is upon Theseus' shield,
988. In plcyn baiaille, in open or fair fight.
993. obsequies (Elles., &c.) ; exiqiiies (Harl.) ; accented on the second
syllable.
1004. as hi?n lestc, as it pleased him.
1005. taSy heap, collection. Some MSS. read^rtj (caas), which might
= downfall, ruin, Lat. casus ; but, as c and / are constantly confused,
this reading is really due to a mere blunder. Gower speaks of gathering
'a iasse' of sticks ; Conf. Amant. bk. v. ed. Pauli, ii. 293. Palsgrave
has—* On a heape, en vttg /as' ; p. 840. Hexham's Dutch Diet. (1658)
has — 'een Tas, a Shock, a Pile, or a Heape.' Chaucer found the word
in Le Roman de la Rose, 14870 : * ung tas de paille,' a heap of straw.
1006. hartleys. * And ari)ia be not taken onely for the instruments
of al maner of crafts, but also for hartleys and weapon ; also standards
and banners, and sometimes battels.' — Bossevvell's Armorie, p. i, ed.
1597. Cf. 1. 1613.
1010. Thitrgh-giri, pierced through. This line is taken from
Troilus, iv. 627 : * Thourgh-girt with many a wyd and blody wounde.'
1011. liggyng by and by, lying near together, as in A. 4143; the
usual old sense being ' in succession,' or ' in order ' ; see examples in
the New Eng. Diet., p. 1233, col. 3. In later English, by and by
signifies presently, immediately, as * the end is not by and by.'
1012. in oon artnes, in one (kind of) arms or armour, shewing that
they belonged to the same house. Chaucer adapts ancient history to
medieval time throughout his works.
1015. Nat fully quike, not wholly alive.
1016. by Mr cote-artmeres, by their coat-armour, by the devices on
the vest worn above the armour covering the breast. The cote-armure,
as explained in my note to Barbour's Bruce, xiii. 183, was 'of no use
as a defence, being made of a flimsy material ; but was worn over the
true armour of defence, and charged with armorial bearings' ; see
Ho. Fame, 1 326. Cf. 1. loi 2. by hirgere, by their ^^t-^r, i. e. equipments.
1018. they. Tyrwhitt (who relied too much on the black-letter
editions) reads tho, those ; but the seven best MSS. have they.
1023. Tathenes, to Athens (Harl. MS., which reads /(3r to for to).
Cf. tallegge, 1. 3000 (foot-note).
1024. he nolde no raunsoim, he would accept of no ransom.
1029. Terme of his lyf the remainder of his life. Cf. ' The end
and term of natural philosophy.' — Bacon's Advancement of Learning,
Bk. ii. p. 129, ed. Aldis Wright.
1035. Cf. Leg. of Good Women, 2425, 2426.
1038. stroofhirhewe, strove her hue; i.e. her complexion contested
the superiority with the rose's colour.
LI. 978-1089.1 THE KNIGHTES TALE. 65
1039. I ft oof, I know not ; nooi=ne woot.
1047. May. 'Against Maie, every parishe, towne, and village,
assembled themselves together, bothe men, women, and children, olde
and yonge, even all indifferently, and either going all together or
devidyng themselves into companies, they goe, some to the woodes and
groves, some to the hills and mountaines, some to one place, some to
another, where they spend all the night in pastimes ; in the morninge
they return, bringing with them birche, bowes and branches of trees, to
deck their assemblies withalle.' — Stubbes, Anatomy of Abuses, ed. 1 585,
leaf 94 (ed. Furnivall, p. 149). See also Strutt, Manners and Customs,
iii. 177. Cf. Midsummer Night's Dream, i. i. 167 : —
* To do observance to a mom of May.'
See also I. 1500, and the note.
1049. Hir yelowheer wasbroyded, her yellow hair was braided. Yellow
hair was esteemed a beauty ; see Seven Sages, 477, ed. Weber ; King
Alisaunder, 207; and the instances in Burton, Anat. of Melancholy,
pt. 3. sec. 2. mem. 2. subsec. 2. Boccaccio has here — * Co' biondi crini
avvolti alia sua testa' ; Tes. iii. 10.
1051. the softneuprisie, the sun's uprising; the -e in sonne represents
the old genitive inflexion. Upriste is here the dat. of the sb. uprist.
It occurs also in Gower, Conf. Amantis, bk. i.ed. Pauli, i. 116.
1052. as Jiir liste, as it pleased her.
1053. party, partly ; Fr. en parti c.
1054. sotil gerlattd, a subtle garland ; subtle has here the exact force
of the Lat. snbtilis, finely woven.
1055. Cf * Con angelica voce' ; Tes. iii. 10: and Troil. ii. 826.
1060. evene-Ioytiafit, joining, or adjoining.
1061. Ther as this Emelye hadde hir pieyinge, i.e. where she was
amusing herself.
1063. In the Teseide (iii. li) it is Arcite who first sees Emily.
1074. by aventure or cas, by adventure or hap.
1076. sparre, a square wooden bolt ; the bars, which were of iron,
were as thick as they must have been if wooden. See 1. 990.
1078. bleynte,\\i^ past tense oi blcnche ox blenke (to blench), to start,
draw back suddenly. Cf. dreynie, pt. t. of drenchen. ' Tutto stordito,
Grido, Om^ ! ' Tes. iii. 17.
1087. Sam ivikke aspect. Cf. * wykked planete, as Saturne or Mars,'
Astrolabe, ii. 4. 22 ; notes in Wright's edition, 11. 2453, 2457 ; and Piers
the Plowman, B. vi. 327 ; and see Leg. of Good Women, 2590-7. Add
to these the description of Saturn : ' Significat in quartanis, lepra, scabie,
in mania, carcere, siibmersione, &c. Est infortuna.' — Johannis Hispa-
lensis, Isagoge in Astrologiam, cap. xv. See A. 1328, 2469.
1089. al-though, &c., although we had sworn to the contrary. Cf.
'And can nought flee, if I had it sworn'; Lydgate, Dance of Machabre
(The Sergeaunt). Also — * he may himselfe not sustene Upon his feet,
thotigh he had itsworne'; Lydgate, Siege of Thebes (The Sphinx), pt. i.
66 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group A.
' Thofe the rede knyghte had sivome,
Out of his sadille is he borne.'
Sir Percevallc, 1. 6i.
1091. ihc short atid ^leyn, the brief and manifest statement of the
case. Pronounce tliis is as this ; as frequently elsewhere ; see 1. 1743,
E. 56, F. 889.
1100. Cf. ' That cause is of my torment and my sorwc': Troil. v. 654,
1101. Cf. ' But whether goddesse orwomman, y-wis, She be, I noot';
Troil. i. 425.
ivher, a very common form for 7uhether.
1105. Yow (used reflexively), yourself.
1106. wrccche, wretched, is a word of two syllables, like wikke, wicked,
where the d is a later and unnecessary addition.
1 108. shapen, shaped, determined. * Shades our ends.' — Shakespeare,
Hamlet, v. 2. 10. Cf. 1. 1225.
1120. * And except I have her pity and her favour.'
1121. atte leesie weye, at the least. Cf. leastwise=at the leastwise :
'■at leastwise''^ Bacon's Advancement of Learning, ed. Wright, p. 146,
1. 23. See English Bible (Preface of ' The Translators to the Reader').
1122. * I am not but (no better than) dead, there is no more to say.'
Chaucer uses ne — but much in the same way as the Fr. 7ie — que. Cf.
North English ' I'm nobbut clemmed ' = 1 am almost dead of hunger.
1126. by viy fey, by my faith, in good faith.
1127. 7>ie list fid yvele phye, it pleaseth me very badly to play.
1128. This debate is an imitation of the longer debate (in the Teseide),
where Palamon and Arcite meet in the grove ; cf. 1. 1580 below.
1129. // nere=it were not, it would not be.
1132. * It was a common practice in the middle ages for persons to
take formal oaths of fraternity and friendship ; and a breach of the oath
was considered something w'orse than perjury. This incident enters
into the plots of some of the medieval romances. A curious example will
be found in the Romance of Athelston ; Rehquias Antique, ii. 85.' —
Wright. A note in Bell's Chaucer reminds us that instances occur also
in the old heroic times ; as in the cases of Theseus and Peirithous,
Achilles and Patroclus, Pylades and Orestes, Nysus and Euryalus.
See Sworn Brothers in Nares' Glossary; Rom. of the Rose, 2884.
1133. * That never, even though it cost us a miserable death, a death
by torture.' So in Troilus, i. 674 : * That certayn, for to deyen in the
peyne.' Also in the E. version of The Romaunt of the Rose, 3326.
1134. * Till that death shall part us two.' Cf. the ingenious alteration
in the Marriage Service, where the phrase ' till death us depart ' was
altered into ' do part' in 1661.
1136. cas, case. It properly means event, hap. See 1. 1074.
7>iy leve brother^ my dear brother.
1141. ottt o/doute^ without doubt, doubtless.
1147. to my counseil, to my adviser. See 1. 1 161.
1151. I dar wel seyn, I dare maintain.
LI. 1091-300.] THE KNIGHTES TALE. 67
1153. Thou shall be. Chaucer occasionally uses j//a// in the sense of
owe, so that the true sense oi I shall is I owe (Lat. debeo) ; it expresses
a strong obligation. So here it is not so much the sign of a future tense
as a separate verb, and the sense is ' Thou art sure to be false sooner
than I am.'
1155. par amour, with love, in the way of love. To \o\c. par a7nour
is an old phrase for to love excessively. Cf. Bruce, xiii. 485 ; and see
A. 21 12, below ; Troil. v. 158, 332.
1158. affecciou7i 0/ holinesse, a sacred affection, or aspiration after.
1162. I pose, I put the case, I will suppose.
1 163. ' Knowest thou not well the old writer's saying ? ' The olde clerk
is Boethius, from whose book, De Consolatione Philosophiae, Chaucer
has borrowed largely in many places. The passage alluded to is in
lib. iii. met. 12 : —
* Quis legem det amantibus ?
Maior lex amor est sibi.'
Chaucer's translation (vol. ii. p. 92, 1. 37) has — * But what is he that
may yive a lawe to loveres ? Love is a gretter lawe . . . than any lawe
that men may yeven.' And see Troil. iv. 618.
1167. and swich decree, and (all) such ordinances.
1168. in ech degree, in every rank of life.
1172. And eek it is, Sec, 'and moreover it is not likely that ever in
all thy life thou wilt stand in her favour.'
1177. This fable, in this particular form, is not in any of the usual
collections ; but it is, practically, the same as that called ' The Lion,
the Tiger, and the Fox ' in Croxall's yEsop. Sometimes it is ' the Lion,
the Bear, and the Fox ' ; the Fox subtracts the prey for which the
others fight. It is no. 247 in Halm's edition of the ' Fabulae y^sopicae,'
Lips., Teubner, 1852, with the moral : — 6 fxvdos 8r)\()i, on a\\u>u
KoniuvTuiv uXXot K€p8aLvov<nv, In La Fontaine's Fables, it appears as
Les Voleurs et I'Ane. Thynne coolly altered kj/e to cur, and then had
to insert so after 7i'ere to fill up the line.
1186. everich of us, each of us, every one of us.
1189. to theffect, to the result, or end.
1196. From the Legend of Good Women, 2282.
1200. in helle. An allusion to Theseus accompanying Pirithous in
his expedition to carry off Proserpina, daughter of Aidoneus, king of
the Molossians, when both were taken prisoner, and Pirithous torn in
pieces by the dog Cerberus. At least, such is the story in Plutarch ;
see Shakespeare's Plutarch, ed. Skeat, p. 289. Chaucer found the
mention of Pirithous' visit to Athens in Boccaccio's Teseide, iii. 47-51.
The rest he found in Le Roman de la Rose, 81 86^
* Si cum vesquist, ce dist I'istoire,
Pyrithous apres sa mort,
Que Theseus tant ama mort.
Tant le queroit, tant le sivoit . . .
Que vis en enfer I'ala querre.'
F 2
68 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a.
1201. Observe the expression to ivryte, which shews that this story
was not originally meant to be told. (Anglia, viii. 453.)
1212. Most MSS. read or stoiende, i.e. or at any hour. MS. Dd.
has stound, one moment, any short interval of time.
* The storme sesed within a stounde.'
Ywaine and Gawin, 1. 384.
On this slight authority, Tyrwhitt altered the reading, and is
followed by Wright and Bell, though MS. HI. really has or like the
rest, and the black-letter editions have the same.
1218. Jiis nekke lyth to wedde, his neck is in jeopardy; lit. lies in
pledge or in pawn.
1222. To sleen himself he wayteih prively^ he watches for an oppor-
tunity to slay himself unperceived.
1223. This line, slightly altered, occurs also in the Legend of Good
Women, 658.
1225, Now is me shape^ now I am destined ; literally, now is it shaken
(or appointed) for me.
1247. It was supposed that all things were made of the four elements
mentioned in 1. 1 246. * Does not our life consist of the four elements ? ' —
Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, ii. 3. 10.
1255. Cf. P. Plowman, C. xiii. 236.
1257. ' And another man would fain (get) out of his prison.'
1259. mat ere ; in the matter of thinking to excel God's providence.
1260. 'We never know what thing it is that we pray for here below.'
See Romans viii. 26.
1261. dronke is as a motis. This phrase seems to have given way to
* drunk as a rat.' ' Thus satte they swilling and carousyng, one to
another, till they were both as dronke as rattes^ — Stubbes, 'Anatomie of
Abuses; ed. Furnivall, p. 113.
* I am a Flemying, what for all that,
Although I wyll be dronken otherwhyles as a rat}
Andrew Boorde, ed. Furnivall, p. 147.
Cf. 'When that he is dronke as a dreyftt mons '; Ritson, Ancient Songs,
i. 70 (Man in the Moon, 1. 31). 'And I will pledge Tom Tosspot, till
I be drunk as a mouse-a''\ Old Plays, ed. Hazlitt, iii. 339. See also
Skelton, Colin Clout, 803 ; and D. 246.
1262. This is from Boethius, De Consolatione, lib. iii. pr. 2 : * But
I retorne ayein to the studies of men, of whiche men the corage alwey
reherseth and seketh the sovereyn good, al be it so that it be with
a derked memorie ; but he not by whiche path, right as a dronken man
not nat by whiche path he may retorne him to his hoiis' — Chaucer's
Translation of Boethius ; vol. ii. p. 54, 1. 57.
1264. j/zV/^r, slippery ; as in the Legend of Good Women, 1. 648. Cf.
the gloss — ' Ltibricitm, slidere '; Reliquiae Antiquae, i. 7.
1279. pure fettres, the very fetters. * So in the Duchesse, 1. 583, the
pure deeth. The Greeks used Ka^upo'y in the same sense.' — Tyrwhitt.
LI. 1201-376.] THE KNIGHTES TALE. 69
1283. at thy large, at large. Cf. 1. 2288.
1302. 'White like box-wood, or ashen-gray'; cf. 1. 1364. Cf. 'And
pale as box she wex'; Legend of Good Women, 1. 866. Also 'asshen
pale and dede ' ; Troil. ii. 539.
1308. Copied in Lydgate's Horse, Sheep, and Goose, 124: — 'But
here this schepe, rukkyng in his folde.' ' Rukkun, or cowre down ' ;
Prompt. Parv. In B. 4416, MSS. Cp. Pt. Ln. have rouking in place
of lurking.
1317. to letten of his wtlle, to refrain from his will (or lusts).
1333. Cf. the phrase 'paurosa gelosia'; Tes. v. 2.
1344. upon his heed, on pain of losing his head. * Froissart has sur
sa teste, sur la teste, and sur peine de la teste.'— 1,
1347. this questioun. 'An implied allusion to the medieval courts of
love, in which questions of this kind were seriously discussed.' — Wright.
1366. making his vione, making his complaint or moan.
1372. * In his changing mood, for all the world, he conducted himself
not merely like one suifering from the lover's disease of Eros, but
rather (his disease was) like mania engendered of melancholy humour.'
This is one of the numerous allusions to the four humours, viz. the
choleric, phlegmatic, sanguine, and melancholic. An excess of the
latter was supposed to produce 'melancholy madness.' gere, flighty
manner, changeableness ; 'Siche wilde g'erys hade he mo'; Thornton
Romances, Sir Percival, 1. 1353. See note to 1. 1536.
1376. in his cellefantastyk. Tyrwhitt reads Beforne his hed in his
celle fantastike. EUes. has Biforn his owene celle fantastik. ' The
division of the brain into cells, according to the different sensitive
faculties, is very ancient, and is found depicted in medieval manuscripts.
1\\G fantastic cell {fantasia) was in front of the head.' — Wright. Hence
Biforen means ' in the front part of his head.'
* Madnesse is infection of the fonnost eel of the head, with priuation
of imagination, lyke as melancholye is the infection of the middle cell
of the head, with priuation of reason, as Constant, saith in libra de
Melancolia. Melancolia (saith he) is an infection that hath mastry of
the soule, the which commeth of dread and of sorrow. And these
passions be diuerse after the diuersity of the hurt of their workings ;
for by madnesse that is called Mania, principally the imagination is
hurt ; and in the other reson is hurted.' — Batman upon Bartholome,
lib. vii. c. 6. Vincent of Beauvais, bk. xxviii. c. 41, cites a similar
statement from the Liber de Anatomia, w-hich begins : — ' Cerebrum
itaque tribus cellulis est distinctum. Duae namque meringes cerebri
faciunt tres plicaturas inter se denexas, in quibus tres sunt cellulae :
phantastica scilicet ab anteriori parte capitis, in qua sedem habet
imaginatio.' So in Batman upon Bartholom^, lib. v. c. 3: — 'The
Braine ... is diuided in three celles or dens ... In the formost cell . . .
imagination is conformed and made ; in the middle, reason ; in the
hindermost, recordation and minde' [memory]. Cf. also Burton, Anat.
of Melancholy, pt. 2. sec. 3. mem. i. subsec. 2.
70 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group A.
1385-8. Probably from Claudian, De Raptu Proserpinae, i. ^^ :—
' Cyllenius astitit ales,
Somniferam quatiens uirgam, tectusque galero.'
See Lounsbury, Studies, ii. 382.
1390. Argtis, Argus of the hundred eyes, whom Mercury charmed
to sleep before slaying him. Ovid, Met. i. 714.
1401. Cf. ' Hir face . . . Was al ychaunged in another kinde'; Troil.
iv. 864.
1405. bar htm lowe^ conducted himself as one of low estate. Cf. E.
2013.
1409. Cf. * in maniera di pover vallctto '; Tes. iv. 22.
1428. In the Teseide, iv. 3, he takes the name of Pcnteo. Philostrato
is the name of another work by Boccaccio, answering to Chaucer's
Troilus. The Greek (juXoaTpaTos means, literally, 'army-lover'; but
it is to be noted that Boccaccio did not so understand it. He actually
connected it with the Lat. strahis, and explained it to mean ' vanquished
or prostrated with love'; and this is how the name is here used.
1444. slyly, prudently, wisely. The M. E. sleigh, j/y = wise, knowing ;
and j/^/o/i/=: wisdom, knowledge. (For change of meaning compare
cunning, originally knowledge ; craft, originally power ; art, <S:c.)
* Ne swa sleygh payntur never nan was,
Thogh his slcght mught alle other pas,
That couthe ymag^n of )>air [devils'] grj'slynes.'
Hampole's Pricke of Consc, 11. 2308, 2309. — M.
1463. The third night is followed by the fourth day ; so Palamon
and Arcite meet on the 4th of May (1. 1574), which was a Friday
(1. 1534) ; the first hour of which was dedicated to Venus (1. 1536)
and to lovers' vows (1. 1501), The 4th of May was a Friday in 1386.
1471. clarree. ' The French term £■/«?-/ seems simply to have denoted
a' clear transparent wine, but in its most usual sense a compounded
drink of wine with honey and spices, so delicious as to be comparable
to the nectar of the gods. In Sloane MS. 2584, f. 173, the following
directions are found for making clarre : — " Take a galoun of honi, and
skome (skim) it wel, and loke whanne it is isoden (boiled), that ther be
a galoun ; thanne take viii galouns of red wyn, than take a pound of
pouder canel (cinnamon), and half a pounde of pouder gynger, and
a quarter of a pounde of pouder peper, and medle (mix) alle these
thynges togeder and (with) the wyn ; and do hym in a clene barelle,
and stoppe it fast, and rolle it wel ofte sithes, as men don verious,
iii dayes." '—Way ; note to Prompt. Parv., p. 79. ' The Craft to make
Clarre' is also given in Arnold's Chronicle of London ; and see the
Gloss, to the Babees Book. See Rom. of the Rose, 5971.
1472. Burton mentions ' opium Thebaicum,' which produced stupe-
faction ; Anat. Met. pt. 3. sec. 2. mem. 6. subsec. 2. The words ' Opium
Thebaicum' are written in the margin in MSS. E. and Hn.
LI. 1385-5341 THE KNIGHTES TALE. 71
1477. nedes-cost, for needcs cos/e, by the force of necessity. It seems
to be equivalent to M.E. needes-wyse, of necessity. Alre-coste (Ice-
landic alls-kosiar^ in all respects) signifies 'in every wise.' It occurs
in Old English Homilies (ed. Morris), part i. p. 21 : 'We ne majen
alre-coste halden Crist(es) bibode,' we are not able in every wise
to keep Christ's behests. The right reading in Leg. Good Women,
2697, is : —
'And nedes cost this thing mot have an ende.'
1494. A beautiful line ; but copied from Dante, Purg. i. 20 — * Faceva
tutto rider I'oriente.'
1500. See note to 1. 1047, where the parallel line from Shakespeare
is quoted. And cf. Troil. ii. 112 — * And lat us don to Maysom observ-
aunce.' See the interesting article on May-day Customs in Brand's
Popular Antiquities (where the quotation from Stubbes will be found) ;
also Chambers, Book of Days, i. 577, where numerous passages relating
to May are cited from old poems. An early passage relative to the
1st of May occurs in the Orologium Sapicntiae, printed in Anglia,
X. 387 :- ' And thanne is the custome of dyuerse contrees that yonge
folke gone on the nyghte or erely on the morow to Medowes and
woddes, and there they kutten downe bowes that haue fayre grene
levcs, and arayen hem with flowres ; and after they setten hem byfore
the dorcs where they trowe to haue amykes [friends .''] in her lovers,
in token of frendschip and trewe loue.' And see ^lay-day in Nares.
1502. From the Legend of Good Women, 1204.
1508. Were ;/ = if it were only.
1509. So in Troilus, ii. 920: —
' Ful loude sang ayein the mone shene.'
1522. * Veld haue¥ hege, and wude haue^ heare,' i.e. ' Field hath
eye, and wood hath ear.'
' Campus habet lumen, et habet nemus auris acumen,'
This old proverb, with Latin version, occurs in MS. Trin. Coll. Cam.
O. 2. 45, and is quoted by Mr. T. Wright in his Essays on England in
the Middle Ages, vol. i. p. 168. Cf. Cotgrave's F. Diet. s. v. Oeillct.
' Das Feld hat Augen, der Wald hat Ohren ' ; Ida von Diiringsfeld,
Sprichworter, vol. i. no. 453.
1524. at unset stevene, at a meeting not previously fixed upon, an
unexpected meeting or appointment. This was a proverbial saying,
as is evident from the way in which it is quoted in Sir Eglamour, 1282
(Thornton Romances, p. 174) : —
' Ilyf ys sothe seyde^ be God of heven,
Mony metyn at on-sett stevyn.'
Cf. * Wee may chance to meet with Robin Hood
Here ait so>ne unset t steven.^
Robin Hood and Guy of Gisbome ; in Percy's
Reliques of Eng. Poetry.
72 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group A.
' Thei sette7i steiien^ they made an appointment ; Knight de la Tour-
Landry, ch. iii. And see below, The Cokes Tale :
' And ther they sette7i steven for to mete '; A. 4383-
1531. hir gtieynie geres, their strange behaviours.
1532. Now in the top (i.e. elevated, in high spirits), now down in
the briars (i. e. depressed, in low spirits).
' Alias ! where is this worldes stabilnesse ?
Here up, here doime\ here honour, here repreef;
Now hale, now sike ; now bounty, now myscheef.'
Occleve, De Reg. Princip. p. 2.
1533. boket in a luelle. Cf. Shakespeare's Richard II., iv. i. 184.
' Like so many buckets in a well ; as one riseth another falleth, one's
empty, another's full.'— Burton's Anat. of Mel. p. 33.
1536. gery, changeable ; so also ger/iil in 1. 1538. Observe also the
sb. gere, a changeable mood, in 11. 1372, 1531, and Book of the
Duchesse, 1257. This very scarce word deser\-es illustration. Matz-
ner's Dictionary gives us some examples.
* By revolucion and turning of the yere
A gery March his stondis doth disclose,
Nowe reyne, nowe stonne, nowe Phebus bright and clere.'
Lydgate, Minor Poems, p. 24.
' YL^r gery laces,' their changeful ribands ; Richard Redeless, iii. 130.
* Now gerysshe, glad and anoon aftir wrothe.'
Lydgate, Minor Poems, p. 245.
' In gerysshe Marche '; id. 243. ' Gerysshe, wylde or lyght-headed ';
Palsgrave's Diet., p. 313. In Skelton's poem of Ware the Hauke
(ed. Dyce, i. 157) we find : —
* His seconde hawke wexid gety.
And was with flying wery.'
Dyce, in his note upon the word, quotes two passages from Lydgate's
Fall of Princes, B. iii. c. 10. leaf 77, and B. vi. c. I. leaf 134.
* Howe gc'ry fortune, fur>^ous and wode.'
* And, as a swalowe gery she of her flyghte,
Twene slowe and swyfte, now croked, now upright.'
Two more occur in the same, B. iii. c. 8, and B. iv. c. 8.
' The gery Romayns, stormy and unstable.'
' The geryshe quene, of chere and face double.'
See also in his Siege of Troye, ed. 1555, fol. B 6, back, col. 2 ; &c.
1539. A writer in Notes and Queries quotes the following Devonshire
proverb : ' Fridays in the week are never aleek,' i. e. Fridays are unlike
other days. < Vendredy de la semaine est
Le plus beau ou le plus laid ' ;
Recueil des Contes, par A. Jubinal, p. 375.
L1.IS3I-665.] THE KNIGHTES TALE. 73
1566. Compare Legend of Good Women, 2629 : —
' Sin first that day that shapen was my sherte,
Or by the fatal sustren had my dom.'
So also in Troil. iii. 733.
1593. / drede noghi, I have no fear, I doubt not.
1594. outher . . . or = either ... or.
1609. To darreyne htr, to decide the right to her. Spenser is very
fond of this word ; see Y. Q. i. 4. 40 ; i. 7. 1 1 ; ii. 2. 26 ; iii. i. 20 ; iv. 4.
26, 5. 24 ; V. 2. 15 ; vi. 7. 41. See dcraistner in Godefroy's O. Fr. Diet.
1622. to borwe. This expression has the same force as to Tuedde, in
pledge. See 1. 1218.
1625, The expression 'sooth is seyd' shews that Chaucer is here
introducing a quotation. The original passage is the following, from
the Roman de la Rose, 8487 : —
' Bien savoient cele parole,
Qui n'est mengongiere ne fole :
Qu'onques Amor et Seignorie
Ne s'entrefirent companie,
Ne ne demorerent ensemble.'
Again, the expression ' cele parole ' shews that Jean de Meun is also
here quoting from another, viz. from Ovid, Met. ii. 846 : —
* Non bene conueniunt, nee in una sede morantur
IMaiestas et Amor.'
1626. his tha?ikes, willingly, with good-will ; cf. 1. 2107. Cf. ^L E.
myn unthottkes =■ ingratis. ' He faught with them in batayle their
tinthankes'' \ Hardyng's Chronicle, p. 112. — M.
1638. Cf. Teseide, vii. 106, 119 ; Statius, Theb. iv. 494-9.
1654. Foynetty thrust, push. It is a mistake to explain this, as usual,
by * fence,' as fence ( = defence) suggests parrying ; whereas foinen
means to thrust or push, as in attack, not as in defence. It occurs
again in 1. 2550. Hence it is commonly used of the pushing with
spears.
' With speres ferisly [fiercely] they foynede.'
Sir Degrevant, 274 (Thornton, Rom. p. 188).
Strutt (Sports and Pastimes, bk. iii. c. I. § 32) explains that a thrust
is more dangerous than a cut, and quotes the old advice, that ' to foyne
is better than to smyte.' ' And there kyng Arthur smote syr Mordred
vnder the shelde wyth ?l foyne of his spere thorughoute the body more
than a fadom ' ; Sir T. Malory, Morte Darthur, bk. xxi. c. 4. This was
a foine indeed !
1656. Deficient in the first foot. Scan : — In | his fight | ing, &c.
The usual insertion of as before a is wholly unauthorised.
1665. hath seyn dtforn, hath foreseen. Cf. Teseide, vi. i.
74 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a.
1668. From the Tcseide, v. TJ. Compare the medieval proverb :—
* Hoc facit una dies quod totus denegat annus.' Quoted in Die
alteste deutsche Litteratur ; by Paul Piper (1884) ; p. 283.
1676. ther daiueth him no day, no day dawns upon him.
1678. hunte^ hunter, huntsman ; whence Hunt as a surname. I find
this form as late as in Gascoigne's Art of Venerie : * I am the Hunte^\
Works, ed. Hazlitt, ii. 306.
1698. Similarly, Adrastus stopped the fight between Tydeus and
Polynices ; Statins, Theb. i. Lydgate describes this in his Siege of
Thebes, pt. ii, and takes occasion to borrow several expressions from
this part of the Knightes Tale.
1706. Ho, an exclamation made by heralds, to stop the fight. It
was also used to enjoin silence. See 11. 2533, 2656 ; Troil. iv. 1242.
1707. Uppcyne is the old phrase ; as in ' up peyne of emprisonement
of 40 days'; Riley's Memorials of London, p. 580.
1736. ita7n I. 'This is the regular construction in early English.
In modern English the pronoun // is regarded as the direct nominative,
and /as forming part of the predicate.' — M.
1739. ' Therefore I ask my death and my doom.'
1747. Mars the rede. Boccaccio uses the same epithet in the
opening of his Teseide, i. 3 : * Marie rubicondoi Rede refers to the
colour of the planet ; cf. Anelida, i.
1761. This line occurs again three times ; March. Tale E. 1986;
Squieres Tale, F. 479 ; Legend of Good Women, 503.
1780. ca7i 710 divisoun, knows no distinction.
1781. after 0071 = after one mode, according to the same rule.
1783. eyen lighte, cheerful looks.
1785. See the Romaunt of the Rose, 878-884; vol. 1. p. 130.
1799. * Amare et Sapere vix Deo conceditur.' — Publius Syrus, Sent.
15. Cf. Adv. of Learning, ii. proem. § 15—' It is not granted to man
to love and to be wise ' ; ed. Wright, p. 84. So also in Bacon's loth
Essay. The reading here given is correct. Fool is used with great
emphasis ; the sense is : — ' Who can be a (complete) fool, unless he is
in love ? ' The old printed editions have the same reading. The
Harl. MS. alone has if that for but-if giving the sense : ' Who can
be fool, if he is in love?' As this is absurd, Mr. Wright silently
inserted not after ;;/«/, and is followed by Bell and Morris ; but the
latter prints 7tot in italics. Observe that the line is deficient in the
first foot. Read : — Who | may be | a fool, &c.
1807. y<)///<?^, joyfulness — said of course ironically.
1808. Can . . . tha7ik, acknowledges an obligation, owes thanks.
1814. a serva7tt, i.e. a lover. This sense of servant, as a term
of gallantry, is common in our dramatists.
1815, 1818. Cf. the Teseide, v. 92.
1837. looth or leef displeasing or pleasing.
1838. pype/i Z7t an ivy leef \s an expression like 'blow the buck's-
horn ' in A. 3387, meaning to console oneself with any frivolous em-
LI. 1668-850.] THE KNIGHTES TALE. 75
ployment ; it occurs again in Troilus, v. 1433. Cf. the expression * to go
and whistle.' Cf. ' farwel the gardiner ; he may pipe with an yue-leafe ;
his fruite is failed'; Test, of Love, bk. iii ; ed. 1561, fol. 316. Boys
still blow against a leaf, and produce a squeak. Lydgate uses similar
expressions : —
' But let his brother blowe in an horn,
Where that him list, or pipe in a reede.'
Destruction of Thebes, part ii.
Again, in Hazlitt's Proverbs, we find 'To go blow one's flute,' which
is taken from an old proverb. In Vox Populi Vox Dei (circa 1547)>
pr. in Hazlitt's Popular Poetry, iii. 284, are the lines :—
'When thei have any sute,
Thei maye goo blowe theire flute,
This goithe ihe covion brute!
The custom is old. Cf. Zenobius, i. 19 (Paroem. Graec. L p. 6) : —
uhiiv npos fivppivT)v' fdos rjv tov (ir/ dvvdp.(vov iv toU avfiTToa-iois aaai,
ta(fitn]s KXwva 17 fivppiyrji Xal^ovra npos tovtov ciSfiv.
1850. /er ne 7ier, farther nor nearer, neither more nor less. 'After
some little trouble, I have arrived at the conclusion that Chaucer has
given us sufficient daia for ascertaining both the days of the month
and of the week of many of the principal events of the " Knightes
Tale." The following scheme will explain many things hitherto un-
noticed.
' On Friday, May 4, before I A. M., Palamon breaks out of prison.
For (1. 1463) it was during the " third night of May, but (1. 1467) a little
a/ier midnight." That it was Friday is evident also, from observing
that Palamon hides himself at day's approach, whilst Arcite rises "for
to doon his observance to May, remembringon \.hQ poyttt 0/ his desyr"
To do this best, he would go into the fields at siairisc (1. 1491), during
the hour dedicated to Venus, i. e. during the hour after sunrise on
a Friday. If however this seem for a moment doubtful, all doubt
is removed by the following lines : —
" Right as the Friday, soothly for to telle,
Now it shyneth, now it reyneth faste.
Right so gan gery Venus overcaste
The hertes of hir folk ; right as Mr day
Is gerful, right so chaungeth she array.
Selde is the Friday al the wyke ylyke."
' All this is very little to the point unless we suppose Friday to be
the day. Or, if the reader have still any doubt about this, let him
observe the curious accumulation of evidence which is to follow.
' Palamon and Arcite meet, and a duel is arranged for an early hour
on the day folloiuing. That is, they meet on Saturday, May 5. But,
as Saturday is presided over by the inauspicious planet Saturn, it is
no wonder that they are both unfortunate enough to have their duel
76 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a.
interrupted by Theseus, and to find themselves threatened with death.
Still, at the intercession of the queen and Emily, a day of assembly
for a tournament is fixed for '^ this day fifty tvykes^' (1. 1850). Now
we must understand " fifty wykes " to be a poetical expression for
a year. This is not mere supposition, however, but a certainty ;
because the appointed day was in the month of May, whereas fifty
weeks and no more would land us in April. Then ** this day fyfty
wekes " means " this day year," viz. on May 5. [In fact, Boccaccio
has 'un anno intero'; Tes. v. 98.]
' Now, in the year following (supposed not a leap-year), the 5th
of May would be Sunday. But this we are expressly told in 1. 2188.
It must be noted, however, that this is not the day of the tournatnent^j
but of the muster for it, as may be gleaned from 11. 1850-1854 and
2096. The eleventh hour "inequal" of Sunday night, or the second
hour before sunrise of Monday, is dedicated to Venus, as explained by
Tyrwhitt (1. 2217); and therefore Palamon then goes to the temple
of Venus. The next hour is dedicated to Mercury. The third hour,
the first after sunrise on Monday, is dedicated to Luna or Diana, and
during this Emily goes to Diana's temple. The fourth after sunrise is
dedicated to Mars, and therefore Arcite then goes to the temple
of Mars. But the rest of the day is spent merely in jousting and
preparations —
" AI that Monday justen they and daunce." (1. 2486.)
The tournament therefore takes place on Tuesday, May 7, on the day
of the week presided over by Mars, as was very fitting ; and this
perhaps helps to explain Saturn's exclamation in 1. 2669, " Mars hath
his wille." ' — Walter W. Skeat, in Notes and Queries, Fourth Series,
ii. 2, 3 ; Sept. 12, 1868 (since slightly corrected).
To this was added the observation, that May 5 was on a Saturday
in 1386, and on a Sunday in 1387. Ten Brink (Studien, p. 189)
thinks it is of no value ; but the coincidence is curious.
1866. ' Except that one of you shall be either slain or taken prisoner';
i. e. one of you must be fairly conquered.
1884. listes, lists. ' The lists for the tilts and tournaments resembled
those, I doubt not, appointed for the ordeal combats, which, according
to the rules established by Thomas, duke of Gloucester, uncle to
Richard II., were as follows. The king shall find the field to fight in,
and the lists shall be made and devised by the constable ; and it is to
be observed, that the list must be 60 paces long and 40 paces broad, set
up in good order, and the ground within hard, stable, and level,
without any great stones or other impediments ; also, that the lists
must be made with one door to the east, and another to the west [see
* It has been objected, that this makes the tournament to take place, not
on the anniversary of the duel, but two days later. But see 1. 2095, where
the anniversary of the duel is plainly made the day for assembling the hosts,
not for the fight.
LL 1866-929.] THE KNIGHTES TALE. 77
11. 1893,4] ; and strongly barred about with good bars 7 feet high or
more, so that a horse may not be able to leap over them.' — Strutt,
Sports and Pastimes; bk. iii. c. i. § 23.
1889. The various parts of this round theatre are subsequently
described. On the North was the turret of Diana, with an oratory;
on the East the gate of Venus, with altar and oratory above ; on the
West the gate of Mars, similarly provided.
1890. Fill of degrees, full of steps (placed one above another, as in
an amphitheatre). ' But now they have gone a nearer way to the
wood, for with wooden galleries in the church that they have, and
siairy degrees of seats in them, they make as much room to sit and
hear, as a new west end would have done.' — Nash's Red Herring,
p. 21. See Shakespeare, Julius C^sar, ii. 126, and also 2 Kings xx. 9.
Cf. 'While she stey up from gre to gre.' — Lives of Saints, Roxb. Club,
p. 59. Lines 1 187-1894 are more or less imitated from the Teseide,
vii. 108-110.
1910. Coral is a curious material to use for such a purpose ; but we
find posts of coral and a palace chiefly formed of coral and metal in
Guy of Warwick, ed. Zupitza, 11399-11401.
1913. don ivroghtj caused (to be) made ; observe this idiom. Cf. don
yow kept, E. 1098 ; han doon fraught, B. 171 ; haf gert saliit^ Bruce,
xviii. 168.
1918-32. See the analysis of this passage in vol. iii. p. 390.
1919. on the wal, viz. on the walls luiihin the oratory. The descrip-
tion is loosely imitated from Boccaccio's Teseide, vii. 55-59. It is
remarkable that there is a much closer imitation of the same passage
in Chaucer's Pari, of Foules, 11. 183-294. Thus at 1. 246 of that poem
we find : —
* Within the temple , of syghes bote as fyr,
I herde a swogh, that gan aboute renne ;
W^hich syghes were engendred with desyr,
That maden every auter for to brenne
Of newe flaume ; and wel aspyed I thenne
That al the cause of sorwes that they drye
Com of the bitter goddesse lalousye.'
There is yet another description of the temple of Venus in the House
of Fame, 1 19-139, where we have the very line 'Naked fletinge in
a see' (cf. 1. 1956 below), and a mention of the 'rose garlond *
(cf. 1. 1961), and of Hir dowves and daun Cupido ' (cf. 11. 1962-3).
1929. golde, a marigold ; Calendula. ' Goolde, herbe : Solsequium,
quia sequitur solem, elitropium, calendula'; Prompt. Parv. The corn-
marigold in the North is called goulans, guilde, or goles, and in the
Soviih, golds (Way). Gower says that Leucothea was changed
' Into a floure was named golde.
Which stant governed of the sonne.'
Conf. Am., ed. Pauli, ii. 356.
78 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a.
Yellow is the colour of jealousy ; see Yellowftess in Nares. In the
Rom. de la Rose, 22037, Jealousy is described as wearing a ' chapel
de soussie,^ i.e. a chaplet of marigolds.
1936. 0///^n)?/« = Cithaeron, sacred to Venus ; as said in the Rom.
dela Rose, 15865, q. v.
1940. In the Romaunt of the Rose, Idleness is the j)ortero{ the garden
in which the rose (Beauty) is kept. In the Pari, of Foulcs, 261, the
porter's name is Richesse. Cf. 11. 2, 3 of the Second Nonnes Tale (G. 2, 3).
1941. of yore agon, of years gone by. Cf. Ovid, Met. iii. 407.
1953-4. Imitated from Le Roman de la Rose, 16891-2.
1955. The description of Venus here given has some resemblance to
that given in cap. v (De Venere) of Albrici Philosophi De Deorum
Imaginibus Libellus, in an edition of the Mythographi Latini,
Amsterdam, 1681, vol. ii. p. 304. I transcribe as much as is material.
* Pingebatur Venus pulcherrima puella, nuda, et in mari natans ; et in
manu sua dextra concham marinam tenens atque gestans ; rosisque
candidis et rubris sertum gerebat in capite ornatum, et columbis circa
se volando, comitabatur. . . . Hinc et Cupido filius suus alatus et caecus
assistebat, qui sagitta et arcu, quos tenebat, Apollinem sagittabat.' It
is clear that Chaucer had consulted some such description as this ;
see further in the note to 1. 2041.
1958. Cf. 'wawes . . clere as glas' ; Boeth. bk. i. met. 7. 4.
1971. estres, the inner parts of a building; as also in A. 4295 and
Leg. of Good Women, 1 7 1 5. * To spere the estyrs of Rome ' ; Le Bone
Florence, 293 ; in Ritson, Met. Rom. iii. 13. See also Cursor Mundi, 2252.
'For thow knowest better then I
Al the estris of this house.'
Pardoner and Tapster, 556; pr. with Tale of Beryn (below).
'His sportis [portes ?] and his estrt's' ; Tale of Beryn, ed. Furnivall,
837. Cf. ' Qu'il set bien de I'ostel les es/res'; Rom. do la Rose, 12720 ;
and see Rom. of the Rose, 1448 (vol. i. p. 153).
By mistaking the long i' (f) for/, this word has been misprinted as
eftures in the following : ' Pleaseth it yow to see the eftiires of this
castel ? ' — Sir Thomas Malory, Mort Arthure, b. xix. c. 7.
1979. a rutnbel and a swoug/i, a rumbling and a sound of wind.
1982. Mars armifotente.
' O thou rede Marz armypotente.
That in the trende baye hase made thy throne ;
That God arte of bataile and regent,
And rulist all that alone ;
To whom I profre precious present,
To the makande my moone
With herte, body and alle myn entente,
• •••••
In worshipe of thy reverence
On thyn owen Tewesdaye.'
Sowdone of Babyloyne, 11. 939-953.
LI. 1936-99.] THE KNIGHTES TALE. 79
The word armipotetit is borrowed from Boccaccio's armipotente, in the
Teseide, vii. -32. Other similar borrowings occur hereabouts, too
numerous for mention. Note that this description of the temple of
Mars once belonged to the end of the poem of Anelida, which see.
Let the reader take particular notice that the temple here described
(11. 1982-1994) is merely a /a/«/^^ temple, depicted on one of the walls
inside the oratory of Mars. The walls of the other temples had
paintings similar to those inside the temple of which the outside is
here depicted. Chaucer describes the painted temple as if it were
real, which is somewhat confusing. Inconsistent additions were
made in revision.
1984. sireit, narrow ; * la stretta entrata ' ; Tes. vii. 32.
1985. vese is glossed impetus in the Ellesmere MS., and means
* rush ' or ' hurrying blast.' It is allied to M.E.yij^w, to drive, which is
Shakespeare's //f^i's't'. Copied from 'salit Impetus amens E foribus';
Theb. vii. 47, 48.
1986. rese—\.Q shake, quake. ' pe eorSe gon to-rusien^ 'the earth
gan to shake.' — La5amon, 1. 15946. To resye, to shake, occurs in
Ayenbite of Inwyt, pp. 23, 1 16. Cf. also — * The tre aresede as hit wold
falle ' ; Seven Sages, ed. Weber, 1. 915. A. S. hrysian.
1987. ' I suppose the northern light is the aurora borealis, but this
phenomenon is so rarely mentioned by mediaeval writers, that it may be
questioned whether Chaucer meant anything more than the faint and
cold illumination received by reflexion through the door of an apartment
fronting the north.' (Marsh.) The fact is, however, that Chaucer here
copies Statius, Theb. vii. 40-58 ; see the translation in the note to 1. 2017
below. The ' northern light ' seems to be an incorrect rendering of
'aduersum Phoebi iubar'; 1. 45.
1990. ' E le porte eran d'eterno diamante ' ; Teseide, vii. 32. Such is
the reading given by Warton. However, the ultimate source is the
phrase in Statius — 'adamante perenni . . . fores ' ; Theb. vii. 68.
1991. overthwarty &c., across and along (i.e. from top to bottom).
The same phrase occurs in Rich. Coer de Lion, 2649, '" Weber, Met.
Romances, ii. 104.
1997, 8. Cf. the Teseide, vii. ^^ : —
'Videvi 1' Ire rosse, come fuoco,
E le Paure pallide in quel loco.'
But Chaucer follows Statius still more closely. LI. 1 195-2012 answer
to Theb. vii. 48-53 :—
— ' caecumque Nefas, Iraeque rubentes,
Exsanguesque Metus, occultisque ensibus astant
Insidiae, geminumque tenens Discordia ferrum.
Innumeris strepit aula minis ; tristissima Virtus
Stat medio, laetusque Furor, uultuque cruento
Mars armata sedet.'
; 1999. Cf. Rom. of the Rose, 7419-20.
8o NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group A.
2001. See Chaucer's Legend of Hypermnestra.
2003. ' Discordia, contake ' ; Glossary in Reliquiae Antiquae, i. 7.
2004. c/iirttfjg is used of grating and creaking sounds ; and some-
times, of the cry of birds. The Lansd. MS. has schrikeinge (shrieking).
See House of Fame, iii. 853 (or 1943). In Batman upon Bartholom^,
lib. viii. c. 29, the music of the spheres is attributed to the ^ cherky?tg
of the mouing of the circles, and of the roundnes of heauen.' In
Chaucer's tr. of Boethius, bk. i. met. 6, it is an adj., and translates
stridens. Cf. D. 1804, I. 605.
2007. This line contains an allusion to the death of Sisera, Judges iv.
But Dr. Koch has pointed out (Essays on Chaucer, Chaucer Soc. iv.
371) that we have here some proof that Chaucer may have altered his
first draft of the poem without taking sufficient heed to what he was
about. The original line may have stood —
* The sleer of her husband saw I there ' —
or something of that kind ; for the reason that no suicide has ever yet
been known to drive a nail into his own head. That a wife might do
so to her husband is Chaucer's own statement ; for, in the Cant. Tales,
D. 765-770, we find —
* Of latter date, of wives hath he red.
That somme han slayn hir housbondes in hir bed . . .
And somme han drive nayles in hir brayn,
Whyl that they slepte, and thus they han hem slayn.'
Of course it may be said that 1. 2006 is entirely independent oi 1. 2007,
and I have punctuated the text so as to suit this arrangement ; but the
suggestion is worth notice.
20n. From Tes. vii. 35 : — ' Videvi ancora I'allegro Furore.' — Kolbing.
2017. hoppesteres. Speght explains this word by pilots {gubernaculum
tenentes) ; Tyrwhitt, female dancers (Ital. ballairice). Others explain
it hopposieres=opposteres=o^Y'Osing, hostile, so that schippes hoppe-
steres=bellairices carinae (Statins). As, however, it is impossible to
suppose that even opposteres without the h can ever have been formed
from the verb to oppose, the most likely solution is that Chaucer
mistook the word bellairices in Statins (vii. 57) or the corresponding
Ital. word bellatrici in the Teseide, vii. yj, for ballairices or ballatrici,
which might be supposed to mean 'female dancers'; an expression
which would exactly correspond to an M.E. form hoppesteres, from the
A. S. hoppestre, a female dancer. Herodias' daughter is mentioned
(in the dative case) 2l% pcere lydran hoppystran (better spelt hoppestran)
in yElfric's A. S. Homilies, ed. Thorpe, i. 484. Hence shippes hoppe-
steres simply means ' dancing ships.' Shakespeare likens the English
fleet to 'A city on the inconstant billows dancitig' ; Hen. V. iii. prol.
15. Cf. O. F. baleresse, a female dancer, in Godefroy's Diet., s. v.
baleor. In § 55 of CI. Ptolomaei Centum Dicta, printed at Ulm in 1641,
we are told that Mars is hostile to ships when in the zenith or the
LI. 2001-21.] THE KNIGHTES TALE. 8i
eleventh house. ^ Incendeiur autem nauis, si ascendens ab aliqua
Stella fixa quae ex Martis mixtura sit, affligetur.' So that, if a fixed star
co-operated with Mars, the ships were burnt.
The following extract from Lewis' translation of Statius' Thebaid,
bk. vii., is of some interest : —
' Beneath the fronting height of /Emus stood
The fane of Mars, encompass'd by a wood.
The mansion, reared by more than mortal hands,
On columns fram'd of polish'd iron stands ;
The well-compacted walls are plated o'er
With the same metal ; just without the door
A thousand Furies frown. The dreadful gleam,
That issues from the sides, reflects the beam
Of adverse Phoebus, and with cheerless light
Saddens the day, and starry host of night.
Well his attendants suit the dreary place ;
First frantic Passion, Wrath with redd'ning face,
And Mischief blind from forth the threshold start ;
Within lurks pallid Fear with quiv'ring heart,
Discord, a two-edged falchion in her hand,
And Treach'ry, striving to conceal the brand.'
2020. for al, notwithstanding. Cf. Piers the Plowman, B. xix. 274.
202L inforiune of Marie. * Tyrwhitt thinks that Chaucer might
intend to be satirical in these lines ; but the introduction of such
apparently undignified incidents arose from the confusion already
mentioned of the god of war with the planet to which his name was
given, and the influence of which was supposed to produce all the
disasters here mentioned. The following extract from the Compost of
Ptolemeus gives some of the supposed effects of Mars : — "Under Mars
is borne theves and robbers that kepe hye wayes, and do hurte to true
men, and nyght-walkers, and quarell-pykers, bosters, mockers, and
skoffers, and these men of Mars causeth warre and murther, and
batayle ; they wyll be gladly smythes or workers of yron, lyght-fyngred,
and lyers, gret swerers of othes in vengeable wyse, and a great
sunnyler and crafty. He is red and angry, with blacke heer, and lytell
iyen ; he shall be a great walker, and a maker of swordes and knyves,
and a sheder of mannes blode, and a fornycatour, and a speker of
rybawdry . . . and good to be a barboure and a blode-letter, and to
drawe tethe, and is peryllous of his handes." The following extract is
from an old astrological book of the sixteenth century : — " Mars
denoteth men with red faces and the skinne redde, the face round, the
eyes yellow, horrible to behold, furious men, cruell, desperate, proude,
sedicious, souldiers, captaines, smythes, colliers, bakers, alcumistes,
armourers, furnishers, butchers, chirurgions, barbers, sargiants, and
hangmen, according as they shal be well or evill disposed." ' — Wright.
So also in Cornelius Agrippa, De Occulta Philosophia, lib. i. c. 22.
* * *
if. :>:
82 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a.
Chaucer has * cruel Mars ' in The Man of Lawes Tale, B. 301 ; and
of. note to A. 1087.
2022. From Statius, Theb. vii. 58 :—
*Et uacui currus, protritaque curribus ora.'
2029. For the story of Damocles, see Cicero, Tuscul. 5. 61 ;
cf. Horace, Od. iii. i. 17. And see Chaucer's tr, of Boethius, bk. iii.
pr. 5.17. Most likely Chaucer got it from Boethius or from the Gesta
Romanorum, cap. 143, since the name of Damocles is omitted.
2037. sterres (Harl.) Elles. &c. have certres (sertres) ; but this
strange reading can hardly be other than a mistake for sterres, which
is proved to be the right word by the parallel passage in The Man of
Lawes Tale, B. 194-6.
204L In the note to 1. 1955, I have quoted part of cap. v. of a work
by Albricus. In cap. iii. (De Marte) of the same, we have a description
of Mars, which should be compared. I quote all that is material.
' Erat enim eius figura tanquam unius hominis furibundi, in curru
sedens, armatus lorica, et caeteris armis offensiuis et defensiuis. . .
Ante ilium uero lupus ouem portans pingebatur, quia illud scilicet
animal ab antiquis gentibus ipsi Marti specialiter consecratum est.
Istc enim Manors est, id est mares tiorans, eo quod bellorum deus
a gentibus dictus est.' Chaucer seems to have taken the notion of the
wolf devouring a man from this singular etymology of Manors.
In cap. vii. (De Diana) of the same, there is a description of ' Diana,
quae et Luna, Proserpina, Hecate nuncupatur.' Cf. 1. 2313 below.
2045. 'The names of two figures in geomancy, representing two
constellations in heaven. Puella signifieth Mars retrogade, and
Rubeus Mars direct.' — Note in Speght's Chaucer. It is obvious that
this explanation is wrong as regards * Mars retrograde ' and ' Mars
direct,' because a constellation cannot represent a single planet. It
happens to be also wrong as regards ' constellations in heaven.' But
Speght is correct in the main point, viz., that Puella and Rubeus are
* the names of two figures in geomancy.' Geomancy was described,
under the title of ' Divination by Spotting,' in The Saturday Review,
Feb. 16, 1889. To form geomantic figures, proceed thus. Take
a pencil, and hurriedly jot down on a paper a number of dots in a line,
without counting them. Do the same three times more. Now count
the dots, to see whether they are odd or even. If the dots in a line
are odd, put down one dot on another small paper, half-way across it.
If they are rtv«, put down tivo dots, one towards each side ; arranging
the results in four rows, one beneath the other.
Three of the figures thus formed require our attention ; the whole
number being sixteen. Fig. I results from the dots being odd, even,
odd, odd. Fig. 2, from even, odd, even, even. Fig. 3, from odd, odd,
even, odd. These (as well as the rest of the sixteen figures) are given
in Cornelius Agrippa, De Occulta Philosophia, lib. ii. cap. 48 : De
Figuris Geomanticis. Each 'Figure' had a 'Name,' belonged to an
LL 2023-79.] THE KNIGHTES TALE. 83
' Element,' and possessed a * Planet ' and a Zodiacal ' Sign.' Cornelius
Agrippa gives our three ' figures ' as below.
* * * *
* * * *
Fig. I (Puella). Fig. 2 (Rubeus). Fig. 3 (Puer). That is, Fig. i is
' Puella,' or * Mundus facie ' ; element, water ; planet, Venus ; sign,
Libra.
Fig. 2 is ' Rubeus ' or ' Rufus ' ; element, fire; planet. Mars; sign,
Gemini.
Fig. 3 is ' Puer,' or 'Flavus,' or ' Imberbis' ; element, fire ; planet,
Mars ; sign, Aries.
Chaucer (or some one else) seems to have confused figures i and 3, or
Puer with Puella ; for Puella was dedicated to Venus. Rubeus is clearly
right, as Mars was the red planet (1. 1747)- I first explained this,
somewhat more fully, in The Academy, March 2, 1889.
2049. From Tes. vii. 38 :— * E tal ricetto edificato avea Mulcibero so//z7
colla sua arte.' — Kolbing, in Engl. Studien, ii. 528.
2056. Calisiopce = CaUisio, a daughter of Lycaon, King of Arcadia,
and companion of Diana. See Ovid's Fasti, ii. 153; Gower, Conf.
Amantis, ed. Pauli, ii. 336.
2059, 206L 'Cf. Ovid's Fasti, ii. 153-192 ; especially 189, 190,
" Signa propinqua micant. Prior est, quam dicimus Arcton,
Arctophylax formam terga sequentis habet."
The nymph Callisto was changed into Ardos or the Great Bear;
hence " Vrsa Maior " is written in the margin of E. Hn. Cp. Ln. This
was sometimes confused with the other Arctos or Lesser Bear, in which
was situate the lodestar or Polestar. Chaucer has followed this error.
Callisto's son. Areas, was changed into Arctophylax or Bootes : here
again Chaucer says a j/^rrt', when he means a whole constellation;
as, perhaps, he does in other passages.'— Chaucer's Astrolabe, ed.
Skeat (E. E. T. S.), pp. xlviii, xlix. ,^^
2062, 2064. Dcme^DapIme, a girl beloved by Apollo, and changed
into a laurel. See Ovid's Metamorph. i. 450 ; Gower, Conf. Amantis,
ed. Pauli, i. 336 ; Troilus, iii. 726.
2065. Attheon=Aciaeo7t. See Ovid's Metamorph. iii. 138.
2070. Atthala>tie=Atalafita. See Ovid's Metamorph. x. 560 ; and
Troilus, V. 1471.
2074. nat draweii to me))iorie-=xio\. draw to memory, not call to
mind.
2079. Cf. ' gawdy greene. subvirtdis' ; Prompt. Parv. This^(/«^/^
has nothing whatever to do with the E. sb. gaud, but answers to F.
gaudJ, the pp. of the xerh gauder, to dye with weld ; from the F. sb.
gaude, weld. As to lUc'/d, see my note to The P'ormer Age, 17 ; in
G 2
84 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group A.
vol. i. p. 540. Littre has an excellent example of the word : ' Les bleus
teints en indigo doivent etre gaiides, et ils deviennent verts'
2086. iJiou jnayst best, art best able to help, thou hast most power.
Lucina was a title both of Juno and Diana ; see Vergil, Eel. iv. 10.
2112. Utrt parafnours is used adverbially, like paramour in 1. 1155.
From Le Roman de la Rose, 20984 : — ' Jam^s par amors n' ameroit.'
2115. henedicite is here pronounced as a trisyllable, viz. ben' cite. It
usually is so, though five syllables in 1. 1785. Cf. benste in Towneley
INIyst. p. 85. Cf. 'What, liveth nat thy lady, benedicite/' Troil. i. 780.
Benedicite is equivalent to ' thank God,' and was used in saying graces.
See Babees Book, pp. 382, 386 ; and Appendix, p. 9.
2125. This line seems to mean that there is nothing new under
the sun.
2129. This is the *re Licurgo' of the Teseide, vi. 14 ; and the Ly-
curgus of the Thebaid, iv. 386, and of Homer, II. vi. 130. But the
description of him is partly taken from that of another warrior, Tes. vi.
21, 22. It is worth notice that, in Lydgate's Story of Thebes, pt. iii.,
king Ligurgus or Licurgus (the name is spelt both ways) is introduced,
and Lydgate has the following remark concerning him : —
'And the kingdom, but-if bokes lye,
Of Ligurgus, called was Trace ;
And, as I rede in another place,
He was the same mighty champion
To Athenes that cam with Palamon
Ayenst his brother (!) that called was Arcite,
Y-led in his chare with foure boles whyte,
Upon his hed a Avreth of gold ful fyn.'
The term brother must refer to 1. 1 147 above. See further, as to
Lycurgus, in the note to Leg. Good Women, 2423, in vol. iii. p. 344,
2134. '■ kempe heres, shaggy, rough hairs. Tyrwhitt and subsequent
editors have taken for granted that kempe = kemped, combed (an im-
possible equation) ; but kempe is rather the reverse of this, and instead
of smoothly combed, means bristly, rough, or shagg)'. In an Early
English poem it is said of Nebuchadnezzar that
" Hol§7ie (hollow) were his ygh&a anunder (under) campe hores.^'
Early Eng. Alliterative Poems, p. 85, 1. 1695.
Campe hores = shaggy hairs (about the eyebrows), and corresponds
exactly in form and meaning to kejnpe heres.' — M. See Glossary.
2141. I.e. the nails of the bear were yellow. In Cutts, Scenes and
Characters of the Middle Ages, p. 345, the bad guess is hazarded that
these * nails ' were metal studs. But Chaucer was doubtless thinking of
the tiger's skin described in the Thebaid, vi. 722 : —
'Tunc genitus Talao uictori tigrin inanem
Ire iubet, fuluo quae circumfusa nitebat
Margine, et extremos auro mansueuerat nngttes:
LI. 2086-187.] THE KNIGHTES TALE. 85
Lewis translates the last line by : — ' The sharpness of the claws was
dulled with gold.'
2142. for-old, very old. See next note.
2144. for-blak is generally explained 2is/or blachicss ; it means very
black. Ci./ordrye, very dry, in F. 409.
2148. rt/(n^«/j, mastiffs or wolf-hounds. Florio has : ^ Alano,z.rm.s-
tiue dog.' Cotgrave : * Allati, a kind of big, strong, thickheaded, and
short-snowted dog ; the brood where-of came first out of Albania (old
Epirus).' Pineda's Span. Diet, gives : ' Ahvio, a mastiff dog, particu-
larly a bull dog ; also, an Alan, one of that nation.' This refers to the
tribe of Alant, a nation of warlike horsemen, first found in Albania.
They afterwards became allies, first of the Huns, and afterwards of the
Visi-Goths. It is thus highly probable that Alaiint (in which the / is
obviously a later addition) signifies 'an Alanian dog,' which agrees
with Cotgrave's explanation. Smith's Classical Diet, derives Alanus,
said to mean ' mountaineer,' from a Sarmatian word ala.
The alaimt is described in the Maister of the Game, c. 16. We
there learn they were of all colours, and frequently white with a black
spot about the ears.
2152. Colers of, having collars of. Some MSS. read Colerd o/j
which I now believe to be right. Collared was an heraldic term, used
of greyhounds, &c. ; see the New Eng. Diet. This leaves an awkward
construction, as lorefs seems to be governed by with. See Launfal, 965,
in Ritson, Met. Rom. i. 212. Cf. 'as they (the Jews) were tied up
with girdles .... so were they collared about the neck.' — Fuller's
Pisgah Sight of Palestine, p. 524, ed. 1869.
iorels, probably eyes in which rings will turn round, because each
eye is a little larger than the thickness of the ring. This appears
from Chaucer's Astrolabe, i. 2. I — ' This ring renneth in a maner
turet,' i. e. in a kind of eye (vol. iii. p. 178). Warton, in his Hist. E.
Poet. ed. 1871, ii. 314, gives several instances. It also meant a small
loose ring. Cotgrave gives : ' Touret, the annulet, or little ring whereby
a hawk's lune is fastened unto the jesses.' ' My lityll bagge of
blakke ledyr with a cheyne and loret of siluyr'; Bury Wills, ed.
Tymms, p. 16. Cf E. sv.'ivel-x\r\g.
2156. Emetrius is not mentioned either by Statins or by Boccaccio ;
cf. Tes. vi. 29, 17, 16, 41.
2158. diapred, variegated with flowery or arabesque patterns. See
diaspre and diasprem Godefroy's O.F. Diet. ; diasprus ^.vid. diasperatus
in Ducange. In Le Rom. de la Rose, 21205, we find mention of samis
diapres, diapered samites.
2160. cloth of Tars, ' a kind of silk, said to be the same as in other
places is called Tartarine {tartarinum), the exact derivation of which
appears to be somewhat uncertain.' — Wright. Cf. Piers the Plowman,
B. XV. 224, and my note to the same, C. xvii. 299 ; also Tariaritim in
Fairholt.
2187. alle and some, 'all and singular,' 'one and all.'
86 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a.
2205. See the Teseide, vi. 8 ; also Our Eng. Home, 22.
2217. And itt hir hoiire. * I cannot better illustrate Chaucer's
astrology than by a quotation from the old Kalendrier de Bergiers,
edit. 1 500, Sign. K. ii. b : — " Qui veult savoir comme bergiers scevent
quel planete regne chascune heure du jour et de la nuit, doit savoir la
planete du jour qui veult s'enquerir ; et la premiere heure temporelle
du soleil levant ce jour est pour celluy planete, la seconde heure est
pour la planete ensuivant, et la tierce pour I'autre," &c., in the following
order : viz. Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sol, Venus, Mercury, Luna. To
apply this doctrine to the present case, the first hour of the Sunday,
reckoning from sunrise, belonged to the Sun, the planet of the day;
the second to Venus, the third to Mercury, &c. ; and continuing this
method of allotment, we shall find that the twenty-second hour also
belonged to the Sun, and the twenty-third to Venus ; so that the hour
of Venus really was, as Chaucer says, two hours before the sunrise of
the following day. Accordingly, we are told in 1. 2271, that the third
hour after Palamon set out for the temple of Venus, the Sun rose, and
Emily began to go to the temple of Diane. It is not said that this
was the hour of Diane, or the Moon, but it really was ; for, as we have
just seen, the twenty-third hour of Sunday belonging to Venus, the
twenty-fourth must be given to Mercury, and the first hour of Monday
falls in course to the ISIoon, the presiding planet of that day. After
this, Arcite is described as walking to the temple of Mars, 1. 2367, in
the nexte houre of Mars y that is, XhQ fourth hour of the day. It is
necessary to take these words together, for the nexte houre, singly,
would signify the second hour of the day ; but that, according to the
rule of rotation mentioned above, belonged to Saturn, as the third did
to Jupiter. I'he fourth was the nexte houre of Mars that occurred
after the hour last named.' — Tyrwhitt. Thus Emily is two hours later
than Palamon, and Arcite is three hours later than Emily.
2221-64. To be compared with the Teseide, vii. 43-49, and vii. 68.
2224. Adoun, Adonis. See Ovid, Met. x. 503.
2233-6. Imitated from Le Rom. de la Rose, 21355-65, q. v.
2238. ' I care not to boast of arms (success in arms).*
2239. N'e I ne axe, Sec, are to be pronounced as ni naxe, &c. So in
1. 2630 of this tale, Ne in must be pronounced as ;//«.
2252. wher I ryde or go, whether I ride or walk,
2253. fyres bete, kindle or light fires. Bete also signifies to mend or
make up the fire ; see 1. 2292.
2271. The thridde hour inequal. ' In the astrological system, the
day, from sunrise to sunset, and the night, from sunset to sunrise, being
each divided into twelve hours, it is plain that the hours of the day and
night were never equal except just at the equinoxes. The hours
attributed to the planets were of this imequal sort. See Kalendrier de
Berg. loc. cit., and our author's treatise on the Astrolabe.' — Tyrwhitt.
2275-360. Cf. the Teseide, vii. 71-92.
2286. a game, a pleasure.
LI. 3305-451.] THE KNIGHTES TALE. 87
2288. at his large, at liberty (to speak or to be silent).
2290. ' E corono di quercia cereale ' ; Tes. vii. 74. Cerial should be
cerrial, as spelt by Dryden, who speaks of ' chaplets green of cerrial
oak'; Flower and Leaf, 230. It is from cerreus^ adj. oi cerrus, also
ill-spelt ceiris, as in the botanical name Querciis cerris, the Turkey oak.
The cup of the acorn is prickly ; see Pliny, bk. xvi. c. 6.
2294. In Stace of Thebes, in the Thebaidof Statius, where the reader
will not find it. Cf. the Teseide, vii. 72.
2303. aboiighte, atoned for. Attheon, Actaeon ; Ovid, Met. iii. 230.
2313. thre formes. Diana is called Dh>a Trifor>nis ; — in heaven,
Luna ; on earth, Diana and Lucina, and in hell, Prosperpina. See
note to 1. 2041.
2336. Cf. Statius, Theb. viii. 632 : — ' Omina cernebam, subitusque
intercidit ignis.*
2365. the nexte waye, the nearest way. Cf the Teseide, vii. 93.
2368. walked is, has walked. See note to 1. 2217.
2371-434. Cf the Teseide, vii. 23-28, 39-41.
2388. For the story, see Ovid, Met. iv. 171 — 189 ; and, in particular,
cf. Rom. de la Rose, 14064, where Venus is said to be 'prise et lacie.'
2395. lyves creature, creature alive, living creature.
2397. See Compl. of Anelida, 182 ; cf Compl. to his Lady, 52.
2405. do, bring it about, cause it to come to pass.
2422-34. From Tes. vii. 39, 40 ; there are several verbal resemblances
here. — Kolbing.
2437. 'As joyful as the bird is of the bright sun.' So in Piers PI.,
B. X. 153. It was a common proverb.
2438-41. Cf the Teseide, vii. 67.
2443. Cf 'the olde colde Satumus'; tr. of Boethius, bk. iv, met. i.
2447-8. From Le Rom. de la Rose, 13022, q. v.
2449. ' Men may outrun old age, but not outwit (surpass its counsel).'
Cf * Men may the wyse at-renne, but not at-rede.' — Troilus, iv. 1456.
* For of him (the old man) ))u migt leren
Listes and fele })ewes,
pe baldure Jju migt ben :
Ne for-lere )>u his redes,
For J>e elder mon me mai of-riden
Betere ))enne of-reden.'
* For of him thou mayest learn
Arts and many good habits,
The bolder thou mayest be.
Despise not thou his counsels,
For one may out-ride the old man
Better than out-wit.'
The Proverbs of Alfred, ed. Morris, in an Old Eng. Miscellany,
p. 136. And see Solomon and Saturn, ed. Kemble, p. 253.
2451. agayn his kynde. According to the Compost of Ptolemeus,
88 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a.
Saturn was influential in producing strife : ' And the children of the
sayd Saturne shall be great jangeleres and chyders . . . and they will
never forgyve tyll they be revenged of theyr quarelL' — Wright.
2454. My cours. The course of the planet Saturn. This refers to
the orbit of Saturn, supposed to be the largest of all, until Uranus
and Neptune were discovered.
2455. mo7-e pcnver. The Compost of Ptolemeus says of Saturn, ' He
is mighty of hymself. . . . It is more than xxx yere or he may ronne
his course. . . , Whan he doth reygne, there is moche debate.'—
Wright.
2460. groyning^ murmuring, discontent ; from F. grogner. See
Rom. Rose, 7049 ; Troil. i. 349.
2462. ' Terribilia mala operatur Leo cum malis ; auget enim eorum
malitiam.' — Hermetis Aphorismorum Liber, § 66.
2469. ' Er fyue jer ben folfult, such famyn schal aryse,
])orw flodes and foul weder, fruites schul fayle.
And so sei}) Saturne, and sent vs to warne.'
P. Plowman, A. vii. 309 (B. vi. 325 ; C. ix. 347).
2491-525. Cf. the Teseide, vii. 95-99.
2504. Gigginge, fitting or providing (the shield) with straps.
Godefroy gives O. F. gm'ge, guigtie, a strap for hanging a buckler over
the shoulder, a handle of a shield. Cotgrave gives the fern. pi. gutges,
' the handles of a target or shield.' In Mrs. Palliser's Historic Devices,
p. 277, she describes a monument in St. Edmund's chapel, in West-
minster Abbey, on which are three shields, each with * ihegm'ge or belt
of Bourchier knots formed of straps.' In the M. E. word g/ggznge, both
them's are hard, as \ngig (in the sense of a two-wheeled vehicle).
Layneres lacinge, lacing of thongs ; see Prompt. Parv., s. v. Lanere.
In Sir Bevis, ed. Kolbing, p. 134, we find —
' Sir Beues was ful glad, iwis,
Hese layiierys [printed layuerys\ he took anon,
And fastenyd hys hawberk hym upon.'
2507. Shakespeare seems to have observed this passage ; cf. Hen. V.
Act 4. prol. 12.
2511. Cf. House of Fame, 1239, 1240 : —
' Of hem that maken blody soun
In trumpe, beme, and clarioun.'
Also Tes. viii. 5 : — ' D'armi, di corni, nacchere e trombette.'
* The Nakkdrah or Naqarah was a great kettle-drum, formed like a
brazen cauldron, tapering to the bottom, and covered with buffalo-hide,
often 3^ or 4 feet in diameter. . . . The crusades naturalised the word
in some form or other in most European languages, but in our own
apparently with a transfer of meaning. Wright defines nakera.s " a comet
or horn of brass," and Chaucer's use seems to countenance this.' — Marco
LI. 2454-603.] THE KNIGHTES TALE. 89
Polo, ed. Yule, i. 303-4 ; where more is added. But Wright's explana-
tion is a mere guess, and should be rejected. There is no reason for
assigning to the word naker any other sense than ' kettle-drum.* Minot
(Songs, iv. 80) is explicit : —
* The princes, that war riche on raw,
Gert nakers strike, and trumpes blaw.'
Hence a nakcr had to be struck, not blown. See also Naker in HalH-
well's Dictionary. Boccaccio has the pi. 7iacchcre ; see above.
2520. Spatih, battle-axe; Icel. spuria. See Rom. Rose, 5978;
Wars of Alexander, ed. Skeat, 1403, 2458 ; Gawain and Grene Knight,
209 ; Prompt. Parv. In Trevisa's tr. of Higden, bk. i. ch. 33, we
are told that the Norwegians first brought sparths into Ireland. Higden
has ' usum securium, qui Anglicc sparth dicitur.'
2537. As to the regulations for tournaments, see Strutt's Sports and
Pastimes, bk. iii. c. I. §§ 16-24 ; the passages are far too long for
quotation. We may, however, compare the following extract, given by
Strutt, from MS. Harl. 326. 'All these things donne, thei were em-
batailed eche ageynste the othir, and the corde drawen before eche
partie ; and whan the tyme was, the cordes were cutt, and the trum-
pettes blew up for every man to do his devoir \diiiy\ And for to asser-
tayne the more of the tourney, there was on eche side a stake ; and at
eche stake two kyngs of amies, with penne, and inke, and paper, to
write the names of all them that were yolden, for they shold no more
tournay.' And, from MS. Harl. 69, he quotes that — ' no one shall bear
a sword, pointed knife, mace, or other weapon, except the sword for the
tournament.'
2543-93. Cf, the Teseide, vii. 12, 131-2, 12, 14, 100-2, 1 13-4,
118, 19. In 2544, shot means arrow or crossbow-bolt.
2546. 'Nor short sword having a biting (sharp) point to stab with.'
2565. Cf. Legend of Good Women, 635 : — ' Up goth the trompe.'
2568. Cf. King Alisaunder, 189, where we are told that a town was
similarly decked to receive queen Olimpias with honour. See Weber's
note.
2600-24. Cf. the Teseide, viii. 5, 7, 14, 12, &c.
2602. ' In go the spears full firmly into the rest^ — i. e. the spears
were couched ready for the attack.
* Thai layden here speres in areeste,
Togeder thai ronnen as fire of thondere,
That both here launces to-braste ;
That they seten, it was grete wonder,
So harde it was that they gan threste ;
Tho drowen thai oute here swordes kene.
And smyten togeder by one assente.'
The Sowdone of Babyloyne, 1. 11 66,
* With spere in thyne art'j/ ' ; Rom. of the Rose, 7561.
90 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group A.
2614. he . . . /i^=one . . . another. See Historical Outlines of English
Accidence, p. 282. Cf. the parallel passage in the Legend of Good
Women, 642-8.
1^\h. feet. Some MSS. read_/&^>/. Tyrwhitt proposed to read /<?<?,
foe, enemy ; but see 1. 2550.
2624. ivroght . . . 200, done harm to his opponent.
2626. Galgopheye. ' This word is variously written Colaphey, Gal-
gaphey, Galapey. There was a town called Galapha in Mauritania
Tingitana, upon the river Malva (Cellar. Geog. Ant. v. ii. p. 935), which
perhaps may have given name to the vale here meant.' — Tyrwhitt.
But doubtless Chaucer was thinking of the Vale of Gargaphie, where
Actaeon was turned into a stag : —
'Vallis erat, piceis et acuta densa cupressu.
Nomine Gargaphie^ succinctae sacra Dianae.'
Ovid, Met. iii. 155, 156.
2627. Cf. the Teseide, viii. 26.
2634. Byte, cleave, cut ; cf. the cognate Lat. verb Jindere. See
11. 2546, 2640.
2646. siverdes lengthe. Cf.
' And then he bar me sone bi strenkith
Out of my sadel my speres lenkith.'
Ywaine and Gawin, 11. 421, 2.
2675. Which a, what a, how great a.
2676-80. Cf. the Teseide, viii. 131, 124-6.
2683. al his chere may mean ' all his delight, as regarded his heart.'
The Harl. MS. does not insert in before his chere, as Wright would
have us believe.
2684. Elles. reads furie, as noted ; so in the Teseide, ix. 4.
This incident is borrowed from Statins, Theb. vi. 495, where Phoebus
sends a hellish monster to frighten some horses in a chariot-race.
And see Vergil, ^n. xii. 845.
2686-706. Cf. the Teseide, ix. 7, 8, 47, 13, 48, 38, 26.
2689. The following is a very remarkable account of a contemporary
occurrence, which took place at the time when a parliament was held
at Cambridge, A. D. 1388, as told by Walsingham, ed. Riley, ii. 177 : —
'Tempore Parliamenti, cum Dominus Thomas Tryvet cum Rege
sublimis equitaret ad Regis hospitium, quod fuit apud Bernewelle
[Barnwell], dum nimis urget equum calcaribus, equus cadit, et omnia
pene interiora sessoris dirumpit [cf. 1. 2691] ; protelavit tamen vitam in
crastinum.' The saddle-bow or arsoun was the * name given to two
curved pieces of wood or metal, one of which was fixed to the front of the
saddle, and another behind, to give the rider greater security in his
seat'; New Eng. Diet. s. v. Arson. Violent collision against the
front saddle-bow produced very serious results. Cf. the Teseide, ix. 8 —
* E '1 forte arcione gli premette il petto.'
LI. 3614-7491 THE KNIGHTES TALE. 91
2696. ' Then was he cut out of his armour.' I. e. the laces were cut,
to spare the patient trouble. Cf. Statius, Theb. viii. 637-641.
2698. in memorie, conscious.
2710. That . . his, i.e. whose. So which . . his, in Troil. ii. 318.
2711. * As a remedy/<?r other wounds,' &c.
2712. 3. channes . . . save. * It may be obsers'cd that the salves,
charms, and pharmacies of herbs were the principal remedies of the
physician in the age of Chaucer. Save {salvia, the herb sage) was
considered one of the most universally efficiently medieval remedies.' —
Wright. Hence the proverb of the school of Salerno, ' Cur moriatur
homo, dum salvia crescit in horto ? '
2722. iiis nat bui= is only, aveniure, accident.
2725. O persone, one person.
2733. Gree, preeminence, superiority; lit. rank, or a step; answering
to La.t. gradus {not grattts). The phrases to 7uin the grce, i. e. to get
the first place, and to bear the grce, i. e. to keep the first place, are still
in common use in Scotland. See note to the Allit. Destruction of Troy,
ed. Panton and Donaldson, 1. 1353, and Jamieson's Dictionary.
2736. dayes three. Wright says the period of three days was the
usual duration of a feast among our early forefathers. As far back as
the seventh century, when Wilfred consecrated his church at Ripon, he
held ' magnum convivium trium dierum et noctium, reges cum omni
populo laetificantes.' — Eddius, Vit. S. Wilf. c. 17.
2743. This fine passage is certainly imitated from the account of
the death of Atys in Statius, Theb, viii. 637-651. I quote 11. 642-651,
in which Atys fixes his last gaze upon his bride Ismene; as to 11. 637-
641, see note to 1. 2696 above.
'Prima uidet, caramque tremens locasta uocabat
Ismenen : namque hoc solum moribunda prccatur
Uox generi, solum hoc gelidis iam nomen inerrat
Faucibus : exclamant famulae : tollebat in ora
Uirgo manus ; tenuit saeuus pudor; attamen ire
Cogitur (indulget summum hoc locasta iacenti),
Ostenditque offertque : quater iam morte sub ipsa
Ad nomen uisus, deiectaque fortiter ora
Sustulit : illam unam neglecto lumine coeli
Adspicit, et uultu non exsatiatur amato.'
2745. 'Also when bloude rotteth in anye member, but it be taken
out by skill or kinde, it tourneth into venime ' ; Batman upon Bar-
tholom^, lib. iv. c. 7. bouk, paunch ; A. S. buc.
2749. *The vertue Expulsiue is, which expelleth and putteth away
that that is vnconuenient and hurtfuU to kinde' [nature]; Batman
upon Bartholom^, lib. iii. c. 8.
' This vertue [given by the soul to the body] hath three parts ; one is
called natural!, and is in the lyuer : the other is called vitall, or
92 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a.
spiriiall, and hath place in the heart ; the third is called Anvnai,
and hath place in the brayn ' ; id. c. 14.
' The vertue that is called Naiiiralis moueth the humours in the body
of a beast by the vaines, and hath a principal place in the liuer ' ; id. c. 1 2.
2761. This al and som, i.e. /his {is) the al and som, this is the short
and long of it. A common expression ; cf. F. 1606 ; Troil. iv. 1193,
1274. With 11. 2761-2808 compare the Teseide, x. 12, 37, 51, 54, 55,
64, 102-3, 60-3, 1 1 1-2.
2800. overcome. Tyrwhitt reads ovemome, overtaken, the pp. of
ovcrnimen ; but none of the seven best IMSS. have this reading,
2810. The real reason why Chaucer could not here describe the
passage of Arcite's soul to heaven is because he had already copied
Boccaccio's description, and had used it with respect to the death of
Troilus ; see Troil. v. 1807-27 (stanzas 7, 8, 9 from the end).
2815. iherMa7-s, &c., where I hope that Mars will, &c.; may Mars, &c.
2822. s-ufich sorwe, so great sorrow. The line is defective in the
third foot, which consists of a single (accented) syllable.
2827-46. Cf. the Teseide, xi. 8, 7, 9-11, xii. 6.
2853-962. Cf. the Teseide, xi. 13-16, 30, 31, 35, 38, 40, 37, 18, 26-7,
22-5, 21, 27-9, 30, 40-67.
2863-962. The whole of this description should be compared with
the funeral rites at the burial of Archemorus, as described in Statius,
Thebaid, bk. vi ; which Chaucer probably consulted, as well as the
imitation of the same in Boccaccio's Teseide. For example, the * tree-
list ' in 11. 2921-3 is not a little remarkable. The first list is in Ovid,
Met. X. 90-105 ; with which cf. Vergil, JEn. vi. 180; Lucan, Pharsalia,
iii. 440-445. Then we find it in Statius, vi. 98-106. After which, it
reappears in Boccaccio, Teseide, xi. 22 ; in Chaucer, Pari, of Foules,
176; in the present passage ; in Tasso, Gier. Lib. iii. 75; and in
Spenser, F. Q. i. i. 8. There is also a list in Le Roman de la Rose,
1338-1368. Again, we may just compare 11. 2951-2955 with the
following lines in Lewis's translation of Statius : —
* Around the pile an hundred horsemen ride,
With arms reversed, and compass every side ;
They faced the left (for so the rites require) ;
Bent with the dust, the flames no more aspire.
Thrice, thus disposed, they wheel in circles round
The hallow'd corse : their clashing weapons sound.
Four times their arms a crash tremendous yield,
And female shrieks re-echo through the field.'
'£>'
Moreover, Statius imitates the whole from Vergil, yEn. xi. 185-196.
And Lydgate copies it all from Chaucer in his Sege of Thebes, part 3
(near the end).
2864. Funeral he myghte al accomplice (Elles.) ; Funeral he inighie
hem all complise (Corp., Pet.). The line is defective in the first foot.
LI. 2761-993-] THE KNIGHTES TALE. 93
Funeral is an adjective. Tyrwhitt and Wright insert Of before it,
without authority of any kind ; see 1. 2942.
2874. White gloves were used as mourning at the funeral of an
unmarried person ; see Brand, Pop. Antiq. ed. Ellis, ii. 283.
2885. ' And surpassing others in weeping came Emily.'
2891. See the description of old English funerals in Rock, Church of
our Fathers, ii. 488 : * If the deceased was a knight, his helmet, shield,
sword, and coat-armour were each carried by some near kinsman, or
by a herald clad in his blazoned tabard ' ; &c.
2895. Cf. ' deux ars Turquois,' i. e. two Turkish bows ; Rom. de la
Rose, 913 ; see vol. i. p. 132.
2903. Compare the mention of 'blake clothes' in I. 2884. When
* master Machyll, altherman, was bered, all the chyrche [was] hangyd
with blake and armes [coats-of-arms],and the strett [street] with blake
and armes, and the place ' ; &c. — Machyn's Diary (Camden Soc.) p. 171.
2923. ivhippeltree (better unppeltree) is the cornel-tree or dogwood
{Comics sanguined) ; the same as the Mid. Low G. ivipel-boni, the
cornel. Cf. ^ ivepe, or lueype, the dog-tree'; Hexham. See N. and Q.
7 S. vi. 434.
2928. Aviadrides \ i.e. Hamadryades \ see Ovid, Met. i. 192, 193,
690. The idea is taken from Statius, Theb. vi. 110 — 113.
2943. men made thefyr (Hn., Cm.) ; maad was the fire (Corp., Pet.).
2953. loud (Elles.) ; heih (Harl.) ; boioe (Corp.).
2958. * Chaucer seems to have confounded the wake-plays of his own
time with the funeral games of the antients.' — Tyrwhitt. Cf. Troil. v.
304 ; and see ' Funeral Entertainments ' in Brand's Popular Antiquities.
2962. in no disioynt, with no disadvantage. Cf. Verg. ^En. iii. 281.
2967-86. Cf. the Teseide, xii. 3-5.
2968. Lounsbury (Studies in Chaucer, i. 345) proposes to put a full
stop at the end of this line, after teres ; and to put no stop at the end
of 1. 2969.
2991-3. that fiiire cheyne of love. This sentiment is taken from
Boethius, lib. ii. met. 8 : ' ))at J>e world with stable feith / varieth
acordable chaungynges // ])at the contraryos qualite of elementz holden
amonge hem self aliaunce perdurable / ))at phebus the sonne with his
goldene chariet / bryngeth forth the rosene day / ))at the mone hath
commaundement ouer the nyhtes // whiche nyhtes hesperus the eue-
sterre hat[h] browt // J>at \q se gredy to flowen constreyneth with
a certeyn ende hise floodes / so J)at it is nat l[e]ueful to strechche hise
brode termes or bowndes vpon the erthes // )>at is to seyn to couere
alle the erthe // Al this a-cordaunce of thinges is bownden with looue
/ })at gouemeth erthe and see and hath also commaundementz to the
heuenes / and yif this looue slakede the brydelis / alle thinges |)at
now louen hem togederes / wolden maken a batayle contynuely and
stryuen to fordoon the fasoun of this worlde / the which they now leden
in acordable feith by fayre moeuynges // this looue halt to-gideres
peoples ioygned with an hooly bond / and knytteth sacrement of
94 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group A.
maryages of chaste looues // And love enditeth lawes to trewe felawes
// O weleful weere mankynde / yif thilke loue ]>at gouerneth heuene .
gouerned[e] yowre corages.' — Chaucer's Boethius, ed. Morris, p. 62 ;
cf. also pp. 87, 143. (See the same passage in vol. ii. p. 50 ; cf. pp. y^)
122.) And cf, the Teseide, i-x. 51 ; Homer, II. viii. 19. Also Rom. de
la Rose, 16988 : —
* La bole cha^ne dorde
Qui les quatre elemens enlace.'
2994. What follows is taken from Boethius, lib. iv. pr. 6 : * ]>e en-
gendrynge of alle ))inges, quod she, and alle \>Q progressiouns of
muuable nature, and alle J)at moeue)) in any manere, takij) hys causes,
hys ordre, and hys formes, of ]>e stablenesse of ]>e deuyne ))ou3t ; [and
thilke deuyne thowht] ))at is yset and put in ))e toure, ))at is to seyne in
\>c heyjt of J)e simplicite of god, stablisij' many manere gyses to Jiinges
jjat ben to don.' — Chaucer's Boethius, ed. Morris, p. 134. (See the
same passage in vol. ii. p. 115).
3005. Chaucer again is indebted to Boethius, lib. iii.pr. 10, for what
follows : * For al J)ing })at is cleped inperfit, is proued inperfit by ])e
amenusynge of perfeccioun, or of |)ing |)at is perfit ; and her-of comeJ»
it, ^at in cuery |)ing general, yif J)at J)at men seen any )>ing J)at is in-
perfit, certys in J)ilke general J)er mot ben somme ])ing \>at is perfit.
For yif so be \>ai perfeccioun is don awey, men may nat |)inke nor seye
fro whennes ))ilke ))ing is ))at is cleped inperfit. For |3e nature of |)inges
ne token nat her bygynnyng of J)inges amenused and inperfit ; but it
procedi)) of }>ingus J)at ben al hool and absolut, and descende]> so doune
into outerest })inges and into ))ingus empty and wi|)oute fruyt ; but, as
I haue shewed a litel her-byforne, J)at yif ))er be a blisfulnesse ])at be frele
and vein and inperfit, \>er may no man doute J)at j^er nys som blisfulnesse
J)at is sad, stedfast, and perfit.' — Chaucer (as above), p. 89. (See the
same passage in vol. ii. pp. 74, 75.)
3013. 'And thilke same ordre newethayein alle thingesgrowyngand
fallyng adoune by semblables progressiouns of seedes and of sexes.' —
Chaucer's Boethius, ed. Morris, p. 137. (See the same passage in
vol. ii. p. 117 ; i.e in bk. iv. pr. 6. 1. 103).
3016. seen at ye, see at a glance. Gower, ed. Pauli, i. %i, has : —
' The thing so open is at theye,' i. e. is so open at the eye, is so obvious.
' Now is the tyme sen at cyc^ i. e. clearly seen ; Coventry Myst. p. 122.
3017-68. Cf. the Teseide, xii. 7-10, 6, 11, 13, 9, 12-17, 19.
3042. So in Troilus, iv. 1586 : 'Thus maketh vertu of necessite';
and in Squire's Tale, pt. ii. 1. 247 (Group F, 1. 593) ; 'That I made
vertu of necessite.* It is from Le Roman de la Rose, 14217 : —
'S'il ne fait de necessity
Vertu.'
So in Matt. Paris, ed. Luard, i. 20. Cf. Horace, Carm. i. 24 : —
' Durum ! sed leuius fit patientia
Ouidquid corrigere est nefas.'
1,1.2994-3152.] THE MILLER'S PROLOGUE. 95
3068. Cf. ' The time renneth toward right fast,
Joy Cometh after whan the sorrow is past.'
Hawes' Pastime of Pleasure, ed. Wright, p. 148,
3089. oghte to passen rights should surpass mere equity or justice.
3094-102. Cf. the Teseide, xii. 69, 72, 83.
3105. Cf. Book of the Duchesse, 1287-97.
The Miller's Prologue.
The Miller's name is Robht (1. 3129).
3110. The reading conipanye (as in old editions and Tyrwhitt) in
place of route makes the line too long.
3115. I.e. the bag is unbuckled, the budget is opened; as when
a packman displays his wares. See Group I, 1. 26.
3119. To quyte with, to requite the Knight with, for his excellent
Tale. This position of with, next its verb, is the almost invariable
M. E. idiom. Cf. F. 471, 641, C. 345 ; Notes to P. PI., C. i. 133, &c.
3120. 'Very drunk, and all pale'; cf. A. 4150, H. 30.
3124. I. e. in a loud, commanding voice, such as that of Pilate in
the Mystery Plays. In the Chester Plays, Pilate is of rather a meek
disposition ; but in the York Plays, pp. 270, 307, 320, he is represented
as boastful and tyrannical, as is evidently here intended. The
expression seems to have been proverbial. Palsgrave has : ' In
a pylates voyce, a hatilte voyx'\ p. 837. Udall, tr. of Erasmus' Apo-
phthegms (repr. 1877), last page, has — 'speaking out of measure loude
and high, and altogether in Pilaies voice}
3125. by armes, i.e. by the arms of Christ ; see note to C. 651.
3129. ' My dear brother ' ; a common form ; cf. 3848, below, and
1 1 36, above.
3131. thriftily, i. c. profitably, to a useful purpose ; cf. B. 1165.
3134. a develwey, in the devil's name ; see Skelton, ed. Dyce, ii. 2S7 ;
originally, in the way to the devil, with all ill luck. Compare —
' Hundred, chapitle, court, and shire,
Al hit goth a devel way ' [to the bad].
Polit. Songs, ed. Wright, Camd. Soc. p. 254.
See note to 1. 3713 below.
3140. Wyte it, lay the blame for it upon, of Sotithwerk, i.e. of tliie
Tabard inn.
3143. ' Made a fool of the wright,' i.e. of the carpenter; cf. A. 586,
614 ; also A. 391 1, and the note.
3145. The Reeve interferes, because he was a carpenter himself
(A. 614). ' Let alone your ignorant drunken ribaldry.'
3152. A reference to a proverbial expression which is given in Rob.
of Brunne's Handlyng Synne, 1892 : —
' Men sey, ther a man ys gelous.
That " ther ys a kokewolde at hous." '
96 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group A.
Compare also Le Roman de la Rose, 9167-9171, which expresses
a similar opinion.
3155-6. Tyrwhitt omits these two lines in his text, but admits, in his
Notes, that they should have been inserted. The former of the
two lines is repeated from 1. 277 of the original (but rejected) Prologue
to the Legend of Good Women, biit-if thoii viadde, unless thou
art going mad.
31GL oon, one, i.e. a cuckold; or, possibly, an ox (1. 3159). As an
ox was a ' horned ' animal, it comes to the same thing, according to the
miserable jest so common in our dramatists.
3165. goddes foyson, sufficient abundance, i. e. all he wants, all the
affection he expects, there, in his wife.
31GG. A defective line ; read— Of | the rem' | nant, &c.
The Milleres Tale.
On the Miller's Tale, see Afiglia, i. 38, ii. 135, vii (appendix), 81 ;
and see the remarks in vol. iii. p. 395.
3188. gno/, churl, lit. a thief ; a slang word, of Hebrew origin ;
Wth. ganav, a thief, Exod. xxii. I. The same as the mod. Y.. gonoph,
the epithet applied to Jo in Dickens, Bleak House, ch. xix. Halliwell's
Diet, quotes from The Norfolke Furies, 1623 — 'The coviUXxy gnoffes^
Hob, Dick, and Hick, With clubbes and clouted shoon,' &c. Drant,
in his tr. of Horace, Satires, fol. A i, back (i 566), has : — 'The chubbyshe
gnof that toyles and moyles.' Todd, in his Illustration of Chaucer,
p. 260, says — * See A Comment upon the Miller's Tale and the Wife of
Bath, i2mo. Lond. 1665, p. 8, [where we find] "A rich gfto/e ; a rich
grub, or miserable caitiff, as I render it ; which interpretation, to be
proper and significant, I gather by the sence of that antient metre :
The caitiff gnof sed to his crue,
My meney is many, my incomes but few.
This, as I conceive, explains the author's meaning ; which seems no less
seconded by that antient English bard :
That gnof, that grub, of pesants blude.
Had store of goud, yet did no gude." '
The note in Bell's Chaucer, connecting it with oaf, is wrong. The
carpenter's name was John (1. 3501).
3190. This shews that students used often to live in lodgings, as is
so common at Cambridge, where the number of students far exceeds
the number of college-rooms.
3192, 3. Chaucer himself knew something of astrology, as shewn
by his numerous references to it. The word conchisio7is in 1. 3193 is
the technical name for 'propositions' or problems. In his Treatise
on the Astrolabe, prologue (1. 9), he says to his son Lowis — ' I purpose
to teche thee a certein nombre of conclusions apertening to the same
LI. 3155-316.] THE MILLERES TALE.
97
instrument.' We here learn that one object of astrology was to answer
questions relating to coming weather, as well as with reference to
almost every other future event.
3195. in certein houres. In astrology, much depended on times ;
certain times were supposed to be more favourable than others for
obtaining solutions of problems. The great book for prognostications
of weather was the Cale7idrier des Bergiers, an English version of
which was frequently reprinted as The Shepheards Kalendar. The old
almanacks also predicted the weather ; see Ben Jonson's Every Man
Out of his Humour, A. i. so. i — '■ Enter Sordido, with an almanack in
his hand.'
3199. hendcy gracious, mild ; hence, gentle, courteous ; orig. near
at hand, hence, useful, serviceable; A. S. gehende. Ill spelt hendy in
Tyrwhitt. Several passages from this Tale are quoted and illustrated
by Warton, Hist. E. Poetry, sect, xvi ; which see.
3203. hosielrye, lodging. Nicholas had his room to himself;
whereas it was usual for two or more students to have a room in
common, even in college.
3207. cetewale, zedoary ; but commonly, though improperly, applied
to valerian ( Valeriana pyrenaica) ; also spelt setwall. Gerarde, in
his Herball (ed. 1597, p. 919), says that ' it hath beene had (and is to
this day among the poore people of our northeme parts) in such
veneration amongst them, that no brothes, pottages, or phisicall
meates are woorthe anything, if setwall were not at one end ' ; &c.
See Britten's Plant-Names (E. D. S.). See note to B. 1950.
3208. Almageste; Arab, almajisii ; from al, the, and niajisti, for
Gk. /ifyiVrr;, short for nfyiarr} avvra^is, ' greatest composition,' a name
given to the great astronomical treatise of Ptolemy ; hence extended
to signify, as here, a text-book on astrology. See Hallam, Middle
Ages, c. i. yy. Ptolemy's work ' was in thirteen books. He also wrote
four books of judicial astrology. He was an Egyptian astrologist,
and flourished under Marcus Antoninus.' — Warton. See D. 182, 325,
2289. And see my note to Chaucer's Astrolabe, i. 17 ; vol. iii. p. 354.
3209. See Chaucer's own treatise on The Astrolabe, which he
describes. It was an instrument consisting of several flat circular
brass plates, with two revolving pointers, used for taking altitudes, and
other astronomical purposes.
longitigefor, suitable for, belonging to.
3210. aiignm-sto7ies, counters for calculation. Aiigrim is algorism
(see New Eng. Diet.), or the Arabic system of arithmetic, performed
with the Arabic numerals, which became known in Europe from
translations of a work on algebra by the Arab mathematician Abu
Ja'far Mohammed Ben Musa, surnamed al-KJiowdrazini^ox the native
of Khwarazm (Khiva). Chaucer speaks of ' nombres in atigrim ' ;
Astrolabe, i. 9. 3.
'^212. faldifig, a kind of coarse cloth ; see note on A. 391.
3216. Angelus ad virginem. This hymn occurs in MS. Arundel
•{• -P- ^ -_
98 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a.
248, leaf 154, written about 1260, both in Latin and English, and with
musical notes. It is printed, with a facsimile of part of the MS., at
p. 69s of the print of MS. Harl. 7334, issued by the Chaucer Society.
The first verse of the Latin version runs thus : —
'Angelus ad uirginem subintrans in conclaue,
Virginis formidinem demulcens, inquit "Aue!
Aue ! regina uirginum celi terreque dominum
concipies et paries intacta,
salutem hominum tu, porta celi facta,
medela criminum." '
Hence the subject of the anthem is the Annunciation.
3217. the kifiges note, the name of some tune or song. There is
nothing to identify it with a chant royal, described by Warton, Hist.
E. Poet. ii. 221, note b. Warton says that 'Chaucer calls the chant
royal . . . a kifigis note^ But Chaucer says ' THE Jdnges note,' which
makes all the difference; it is merely a bad guess. A song entitled
*Kyng villyamis note,' or ' King William's note,' is mentioned Jn the
Complaint of Scotland (1549), ed. Murray, p. 64.
3220. 'According to the money provided by his friends and his own
income.'
3223. eight-e-ten-e has four syllables ; cf. B. 5. Tyrwhitt read it as
of two syllables, and inserted / gesse after she ivas. He duly notes
that the words I gesse are 'not in the MSS.'
3226. 'And considered himself to be like.' Tyrwhitt has belike,
which he probably took to be an adverb ; but this is a gross
anachronism. The adv. belike is unknown earlier than the year 1533.
3227. Catotni, Dionysius Cato ; see note to G. 688. But Tyrwhitt
notes, that 'the maxim here alluded to is not properly one of Cato's ;
but I find it (he says) in a kind of Supplement to the Moral Distichs
entitled Facetiis, int. Auctores octo morales, Lugd. 1538, cap. iii.
" Due tibi prole parem sponsam moresque venustam,
Si cum pace velis vitam deducere justam." '
He refers to the catalogue of MSS. in Trin. Coll. Dublin, No. 275
(under Urhanus, another name for Facet us) ; and to Bale, Cent. iii. 17,
and Fabricius, Bib. Med. Aetatis.
3230. Note is, in the singular. * Crabbed age and youth cannot live
together ' ; — Passionate Pilgrim.
3235. ceynt, girdle ; barred, adorned with cross stripes. Warton
could not understand the word ; but a bar is a transverse stripe on
a girdle or belt, as in A. 329, which see.
3236-7. barm-clooth, lap-cloth, i.e. an apron 'over her loins.'
gore, a triangular slip, used as an insertion to widen a garment in any
particular place. The apron spread out towards the bottom, owing
rather, it appears, to inserted ' gores ' below than to pleats above. Or
the pleats may be called gores here, from their triangular shape.
L1.32I7-5I.I THE MILLERES TALE. 99
Cf. A. S. gara, an angular projection of land, as in Kensington
Gore. * Gheroni, the gores or gussets of a smocke or shirt ' ; Florio's
Ital. Diet. See note to B. 1979, and the note to 1. 3321 below.
3238. branded, embroidered ; cf. B. 3659, Leg. Good Women, 227.
Of'vs\ 1. 3240 means ' with.'
324L vohiper, lit. 'enveloper' or 'wrapper'; hence, kerchief, or
cap. In 1. 4303, it means a night-cap. In Wright's Vocabularies, it
translates Lat. calamandriim (568, 28), inuohitariuvi (590, 28), and
mafora (594, 19). In the Prompt. Parv, we find: ' 7'^/j//^r^, kerche,
teristrum '; and in the Catholicon, ^ volyper, caliend[r]um.' In Baret's
Alvearie, h. 596, we find: 'A woman's cap, hood, or bonet, Calyptra,
Caliendrum^ The tapes of this cap were ' of the same suit ' as the
embroidery of her collar, i. e. were of black silk.
3245. smale y-pulled^ i.e. partly plucked out, to make them narrow,
even, and well-marked.
3247. Tyrwhitt at first had ^for to see,' but corrected it to ' on to
see,' i. e. to look upon. Cf. Leg. Good Women, 2425.
3248. pere-iofteite, early-ripe pear. Tyrwhitt refers us to a F. poire
jeunetie, or an Ital. pero giovatieito, i. e. very young pear-tree ; but
I believe the explanation is as imaginary as are these terms, which
I seek for in vain. I take it that he has been misled by a false
etymology from F. jeune, Ital. giovane, young, whereas the reference
is to the early-ripe pear called in O.F. poire de hastivel (F. hdtiveaii) ;
see hastivel in Godefroy. The corresponding E. term is getmiiings,
applied to apples, but applicable to pears also ; and I take the
etymology to be from F. Jeatt, John, because such apples and pears
ripen about St. John's day (June 24), which is very early. Cotgrave
has: ^Hastivel, a soon-ripe apple, called the St. John's apple.'
Littrd, s. v. poire, has : ' La poire appellee ^ Paris de messire Jean est
celle qu'en Dauphine et Languedoc Ton nomme de coulis.' Lacroix
(Manners, &c. during the Middle Ages, p. 116) says that, in the
thirteenth century, one of the best esteemed pears was the hastiveau,
which was ' an early sort, and no doubt the golden pear now called
St. Jean.' Finally, we learn from Piers Plowman, C. xiii. 221, that
*pere-Ionettes ' were very sweet and very early ripe, and therefore
very soon rotten ; see my note to that line. The text, accordingly,
compares this young and forward beauty to the newe (i.e. fresh-
leaved) early-ripe pear-tree ; and there is much propriety in the
simile. Of course, this explanation is somewhat of a guess ; and
perhaps I may add another possible etymology, viz. from jatine,
yellow, with reference to the golden colour of the pear. Cf. jaul7iette,
in Cotgrave, as a name for St. John's wort, and the iorm. Jloure-jonetiis
in the King's Quair, st. 47.
3251. *With silk tassels, and pearls (or pearl-shaped knobs or
buttons) made of the metal called latoun.' Such is Tyrwhitt's simple
explanation. In Riley's Memorials of London, p. 398, we find that
a man was accused of having ' silvered 240 buttons of latone ... for
H 2
loo NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group A.
purses.' The notes in Warton are doubly misleading, first confusing
hiioun with chekla/oun (which are unconnected words), and then
quoting the expression 'perled cloth of gold,' which is another thing
again. As to lafotift, see note to C, 350, and cf. A. 699, B. 2067, &c.
3254. popelo/e, darling, poppet. Not connected with papilhn, but
with Y . poup^e and Y., puppet. Halliwell gives: ^ Poplety a term of
endearment, generally applied to a young girl : poppet is still in
common use.' Cotgrave has : *■ Popeli7i, masc. a little finicall darling.'
Godefroy gives : *■ pottpelet, m. petit poupon.'
325G. Wright says: 'The gold noble of this period was a very
beautiful coin ; specimens are engraved in Ruding's Annals of the
Coinage. It was coined in the Tower of London [as here said], the
place of the principal London mint.' It was worth 6i". 8^., and first
coined about 1339. See C. 907, and note.
3258. ' Sitting on a barn.' Repeated in C. 397.
326L bragot, a sweet drink, made of ale and honey fermented
together; afterwards, the honey was replaced by sugar and spice.
See Bragget in New E. Diet. The full receipt for 'Braket' is given
in Strutt, Manners and Customs, iii. 74; it contained 4 gallons of ale
to a pint of honey. In 1783, it was made of ale, sugar, and spices,
and drunk at Easter; Brand, Pop. Antiq. i. 112. Spelt bragot,
Palladius on Husbandry, p. 90, 1. 812 ; &c. Of British origin ; Welsh
bragawd\ cf O. Irish brae, later braich, malt. See also the note on
Bragott in the Catholicon, ed. Herrtage.
3262. Cf. ' An appyll-hurde, pomarium ' ; Catholicon Anglicum.
3263-4. These two lines are cited by Dryden with approval, in the
Preface to his Fables, as being ' not much behind our present English.'
We are amazed to find that Dryden condemns Chaucer's lines as
unequal ; and coolly remarks that * equality of numbers . . . was either
not known, or not always practised in Chaucer's age.' The black-letter
editions which Dryden read were, in fact, full of misspelt words ; but
even in them, he might have found plenty of good lines, if he had not
been so prejudiced and (to say the truth) conceited.
3268. pryme7-oIe, primrose ; as in Gower, C. A. iii. 130. pigges-nye,
pig's eye, a term of endearment ; pig's eyes being (as Tyrwhitt notes)
remarkably small. Cf. ' Waked with a wench, pretty peat, pretty love,
and my sweet pretty pigsnie'' ; Peele, Old Wives' Tale, ed. Dyce
(1883), p. 455, col. I. And see Skelton, ed. Dyce, i. 28, ii. 97, 104.
In fact, it is common. Brand, quoting Douce (Illust. of Shak. ii. 151),
says that * Shadwell not only uses the word pigsney in this sense, but
also btrdsney [bird's eye] ; see his Plays, i. 357, iii. 385.' See also
pigsney in Todd's Johnson, where one quotation has the {orrapigs eie.
A71 ye became a 7tye ; hence the pi. iiyes, and even Jtynon ( = eyne), as
in Halliwell. See note to P. Plowman, C. xx. 306, where bler-eyed,
i.e. blear-eyed, appears as bler-nyed m the B-text.
3269. leggen, to lay. Tyrwhitt has iiggen, to lie, which is but
poor grammar.
Lt 3254 331.1 THE MILLERES TALE. lor
3274. Oseneye, Oseney, in the suburbs of Oxford, where there was
an Abbey of St. Austin's Canons ; cf. 1. 3666.
3286. harrow (Pt. Iiarowe), a cr>' for help, a ciy of distress ; O.F.
haro, harou, the same ; see Godefroy. Cf. 11. 3825, 4307.
' Primus Demon. Oute, haro, out, out ! harkyn to this home ' — &c.
Tovvncley Mysteries, Surtees Society, p. 307 (in the Mystery of
^^ Judidum.'') So in the Coventiy Mysteries, we have : —
* Omnes demones clamant. Harrow and out ! what xal we say ?
harrow ! \\e crye, owt ! And Alas !
Alas, harrow ! is };is \a\. day ? . . .
Alas, harrow ! and owt ! we crye.'
(Play Q){ Judgment^
' My mother was afrayde there had ben theves in her house, and she
kryed out /laroll alarome (F. elle sescria harol alar me) ' ; Palsgrave,
s. V. crye, p. 501. See Haro in Littre, hara in Schade. Cf. 1. 3825 ;
and the note in Dyce's Skelton, ii. 274.
3291. I.e. St. Thomas of Canterbury.
3299. * A clerk would have employed his time ill.'
3308. Defective in the first foot ; scan : Crist | es, &c. Tyrwhitt
inserts Of before Cristes, and coolly observes, in his Notes, that it is
' added from conjecture only.' He might have said, that it makes bad
grammar. And it is from such manipulated lines as this that the public
forms its judgement of Chaucer's verse ! Is it fiot/tifig that all the
authorities begin the line alike ?
3316. shode, not 'hair,' as in Tyrwhitt, but 'parting of the hair.'
3318. ' It was the fashion to wear shoes with the upper leather cut
into a variety of beautiful designs, resembling the tracery of window-
heads, through which the bright colour of the green, blue, or scarlet
stocking beneath was shewn to great advantage';— Rock, Church of
our Fathers, ii. 239, with illustrations at p. 240. Ponies ivindoiues,
windows like those in St. Paul's Cathedral ; hence, designs resembling
them. Wright conjectures that there may even be a reference to the
rose-window of old St. Paul's ; and he says that examples of such shoes
still exist, in the museum of Mr. C. Roach Smith. Good illustrations
of these beautifully cut shoes are given in Fairholt's Costume, pp. 64,
65, who also notes that ' in Dugdale's view of old St. Paul's . . . the rose-
window in the transept is strictly analogous in design.' The Latin
name for such shoes was calcei fejiestrati, which see in Ducange. Rock
also quotes the phrase coriiim fcJiestratum from Pope Innocent III.
Observe the mention of his scarlet hose in the next line. Cf. note to
Rom. of the Rose, 843, in vol. i. p. 423.
3321. wache/, a shade of blue. Tyrwhitt wrongly connects it with
the town of Watchei, in Somersetshire. But it is French. Littr^, s.v.
vaciet, gives : * Couleur d'hyacinthe ou vaciet^ colour of the hya-
cinth, or bilberry (Lat. uacciniuni). Roquefort defines vaciet as a
shrub which bears a dark fruit fit for dyeing violet ; it is applied, he
I02 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a.
says, both to the fruit and the dye ; and he calls it Vacchiiuvi hysginwn.
Phillips says watchet is 'a kind of blew colour.' Todd's Johnson cites
from Milton's Hist, of Muscovia, c. 5, '' watchet ox sky-coloured cloth';
and the line, 'Who stares, in Germany, at ivafchet cyes,'tr. of Juvenal,
Sat. xiii, wrongly attributed to Dryden. See examples in Nares from
Browne, Lyly, Drayton, and Taylor : and, in Richardson, from Beau-
mont and Fletcher, Hackluyt, Spenser, and Ben Jonson. Cotgrave
explains Y. pers as ' watchet, blunket, skie-coloured,' and couleur perse
as ' skie-colour, azure-colour, a blunket, or light blue.' See Blunket in
the New E. Diet., and my article in Philolog. Soc. Trans. Nov. 6, 1885,
p. 329. Webster has ' ivatchet stockings,' The Malcontent, A. iii. sc. I.
Lydgate has ^watchet blewe'; see Warton, Hist. Eng. Poet. (1840),
ii. 280.
3322. poyntes^ tagged laces, as in Shakespeare. MS. HI. has here
a totally different line, involving the word gores (of. 1. 3237 above), viz.
* Schapen with goores in the newe get,' i. e. in the new fashion.
3329. Tyrwhitt says : — ' The school of Oxford seems to have been in
much the same estimation for its dancing, as that of Stratford for its
French' ; see 1. 125. He probably meant this satirically ; but it may
mean the very opposite, or something nearly so. The Stratford-at-Bow
French was excellent of its kind, but unlike that of France (see note
to 1. 125) ; and probably the Oxford dancing was, likewise, of no mean
quality after its kind, having twenty * maneres.'
Z5B1. rui>zl>/e; also ribible (4396). Cf. 'where was his fedylle
[fiddle] or hys ribibW^ Knight de la Tour, cap. 117. See Ribibe,
Ribible in Halliwell ; The Squire of Low Degree (in Ritson), 1. 107 1 ;
Warton, Hist. Eng. Poetry, ii. 194. Also called a rebeck, as in Milton.
A two-stringed musical instrument, played with a bow, of Moorish
origin ; Arab, rabab. ' Hcc vitida, a rybybe ' ; Wright's Gloss. 738. 19.
3332. quinible. Not a musical instrument, as Tyrwhitt supposed, but
a kind of voice. It is not singing consecutive fifths upon a plain song,
as Mr. Chappell once thought (Pop. Music of the Olden Time, i. 34) ;
but, as afterwards explained by him in Notes and Queries, 4 S. vi. 117,
it refers to a very high voice. The quinible was an octave higher
than the treble ; the quatreble was an octave higher than the mean.
The mean was intermediate between iht plain-song or tenor (so called
from its Jwlding on the notes) and the treble. It means 'at the
extreme pitch of the voice.' Skelton miswrites it quibyble.
3333. giterne, a kind of guitar. ' The gittern and the kit the
wand'ring fiddlers like ' ; Drayton, Polyolbion, song 4. See note to
P. PL C. xvi. 208 ; Prompt. Parv. p. 196.
3337. squayjnous, squeamish, particular. Tyrwhitt says — ' I know
not how to make this sense agree with what follows ' (1. 3807). But
it is easy to understand that he was, ordinarily, squeamish, retentive ;
exceptionally, far otherwise. In the Knight de la Tour, cap. cxiv,
p. 155, there is a story of a lady who waited on her old husband, and
nursed him under most trying conditions ; 'and unnethe there might
LI. 3333-58.] THE MILLERES TALE. 103
haue be founde a woman but atte sum tyme she wolde haue loihed
her, or ellys to haue be right scoymous ta haue do the seruice as thes
good lady serued her husbonde contynuelly.' In a version of the
Te Deum, composed about 1400, we read — * Thou were not skoyvtus of
the maidens wombe '; Maskell, Monumenta RituaHa,ii. 14^. Qi/ squay-
inose, verecundus,' CathoHcon ; ' skeytnoivse, or sweyviows ox queymows,
abhominativus '; Prompt. Parv. Spelt squmous (badly), Court of Love,
1. 332 ; and sqy?notcse in Morris's reprint of it. See Desdaigneux
in Cotgrave. 'To be squamis/i, or nice, delicias facere'; Baret's
Alvearie. * They that be subiect to Satume ... be not skoymous of
foule and stinking clothing ' ; Batman on Bartholome, lib. 8. c. 23. In
Weber's Metrical Romances, i. 359, we find :
* Than was the leuedi of the hous
A proude dame and an envieous,
Hokerfulliche missegging,
Squeymoiis and eke scorning.'
Lay le Freine, 11. 59-62.
These examples quite establish the sense. The derivation is from the
rare A.F. escoymous, which occurs in P. Meyer's ed. of Nicole Bozon
(See. des Anc. Textes Frangais), p. 158 :— * si il poy mange e beyt poy,
lors est gageous ou escoymous^ if he eats and drinks little, then is he
delicate or nice. Robert of Brunne has the spelling esquayinous ;
Handlyng Synne, 1, 7249.
3338. dangerous, sparing ; see the Glossary.
3340. Cutts (Scenes and Characters of the Middle Ages, p. 219)
seems to think that the clerk went abotd the parish with his censer, as
he sometimes certainly went about with holy water. Warton, on the
other hand, says that 'on holidays it was his business to carry the
censer about the church, and he takes this opportunity of casting un-
lawful glances on the handsomest ladies of the parish.' Warton is
clearly right here, for there is an allusion to the ladies coming forward
with the usual offering (1. 3350) ; cf. note to A. 450. And see Persones
Tale, I. 407.
ZZhA:. for paramours, for love's sake : a redundant expression, since
par means 'for.' Cf n. to 1. 1155, at p. 67.
3358. shot-windowe. Brockett's Northern Glossary gives : * Shot-
window, a projecting window, common in old houses' ; but this may
have been copied from Home Tooke, who seems to have guessed at,
and misunderstood, the passage, below, in Gawain Douglas. In the
new edition of Jamieson, Mr. Donaldson defines Schot as ' a window
set on hinges and opening like a shutter,' and explains that, ' in the
West of Scotland, a projecting window is called an out-shot witidoiVy
whereas a shot-ioifidoiv or shot is one that can be opened or shut like
^ ' Thou were nought skoytnus to take the maydenes womb ' is the reading
given in The Prymer, ed. H. Littlehales, p. 22.
I04 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a.
a door or shutter by turning on its hinges.' It is material to the stoiy
that the window here mentioned should be readily opened and shut.
The passage in G. Douglas's tr. of Virgil, prol. to bk. vii, evidently
refers to a window of this character, as the poet first says : —
' Ane scJtot-ivyndo vnschet a lytill on char,'
i. e. I unshut the shot-window, and left it a little ajar ; and he goes on
to say that the weather was so cold that he soon shut it again —
' The schoi I clossit, and drew inwart in hy.'
See also 11. 3695, 6 below. In the next line, upon merely means ' in '
or * formed in.'
It is curious that, in Bell's Chaucer, a quotation is given from the
Ballad of Clerk Saunders (Border Minstrelsy, vol. ii.) to shew that shot-
7uindo7u cannot mean * shut window.' But it does not prove that it
cannot mean ' hinge-shutting window,' as I have shewn the right sense
to be. < 'pi;^en she has ta'en a crystal wand,
And she has .stroken her troth thereon ;
She has given it him out at the shot-window,
With mony a sad sigh and heavy groan.'
3361. Tyrwhitt absurdly says that 11. 3361, 3362 should be broken
into four short verses, and that lady (sic) rimes with be ! In Bell's
edition, they are printed in small type ! They are just ordinary lines ;
and be (pronounced nearly as modern bay') certainly never rimed with
lady— nor yet with la-dy — in Chaucer's time, when the final y was
sounded like the modem ee in jneet, and would rather have rimed with
a word like my. It is a mere whim.
3375. menes, intermediate people, go-betweens ; see Mene, sb., in
Gloss, to P. Plowman, with numerous references. Brocage is the em-
ployment of a ' broker ' or agent, and so means much the same. See
Brokage in New E. Diet., and Brocage in Gloss, to P. Plowman.
3377. brokkinge, with quick regular inteiTuptions, quavering, in
a 'broken ' manner. See Brock in New E. Diet.
3379. ivafrcs, wafers. * They (F. gaufres) are usually sold at fairs,
and are made of a kind of batter poured into an iron instrument,
which shuts up like a pair of snuffers. It is then thrust into the fire,
and when it is with-drawn and opened, X\ie gau/re, or wafer, is taken-
outand eaten "piping bote out of the glede," as here described.' — Note
in Bell's Chaucer.
3380. viede, reward, money ; distinct from vicetk, mead, in 1. 3378.
The sense oimede is very amply illustrated in P. Plowman. L. 3380
intimates that, as she lived in a town, she could spend money at
any time.
3382. A side-note, in several MSS., says : * Unde Ouidius : Ictibus
agrestis.' But the quotation is not from Ovid.
3384. The parish-clerks often took part in the Mystery Plays. The
part of Herod was an important one ; cf. Hamlet, iii. 2. 15.
LI. 3361-480.] THE MILLERES TALE. 105
3387. ' I presume this was a service that generally went unre-
warded.' — Wright. It was like * piping in an ivy-leaf ; see A. 1838.
3389. ape, dupe ; as in A. 706.
3392. Gower has the like, ed. Pauli, i. 343 : —
* An olde sawe is : who that is sligh,
In place w[h]ere he may be nigh,
He maketh the ferre leve loth
Of love ; and thus ful ofte it goth.'
Hending, among his Proverbs, has — ' Fer from eye, fer from herte,'
answering to the mod. E. ' out of sight, out of mind.' Kemble cites :
'Quod raro cernit oculi lux, cor cito spemit,' from MS. Trin. Coll.,
fol. 365. Also ' Qui procul est oculis, procul est a lumine cordis,' from
Gartner, Diet. 8 b.
3427. dtyde, should die ; subjunctive mood.
3430. that . . ht)n is equivalent to ivhom. Cf. A. 2710.
3445. kykedi stared, gazed; see 1. 3841. Cf. Scotch keek, to peep,
pry ; Bums has it in his Twa Dogs, 1. 58.
3449. The carpenter naturally invokes St. Frideswide, as there was
a priory of St. Frideswide at Oxford, the church of which has become
the present cathedral. The shrine of St. Frideswide is still to be seen,
though in a fragmentary state, at the east end of the cathedral, on its
former site near the original chancel-arches and wall of her early stone
church. In this line, seint-e has the fem. suffix.
3451. astf-omye is obviously intentional, as it fills up the line, and
is repeated six lines below. The carpenter was not strong in tech-
nical terms. In like manner, he talks of ' Nowelis flood'; see note
to 1. 3818. The reading astronomy just spoils both lines, and loses
the jest.
3456. ' That knows nothing at all except his Creed.'
3457. This story is told of Thales by Plato, in his Theaetetus ; it also
occurs, says Tyrwhitt, in the Cento Novelle Antiche, no. 36. It has
often been repeated, and may now be found in James's edition of .^sop,
1852, Fable 170.
S469. Nearly repeated from A. 545.
3479. ' I defend thee with the sign of the cross from elves and living
creatures.' At the same time, the carpenter would make the sign over
him. Wightes does not mean 'witches,' as Tyrwhitt thought, but
' creatures.' Cf. 1. 3484.
S480. 7iight-spel , night-spell, a charm said at night to keep off evil
spirits. The carpenter says it five times, viz. towards the four corners of
the house and on the threshold. The charm is contained in lines 3483-6,
and is partly intentional nonsense, as such charms often were. See
several unintelligible examples in Cockayne's Leechdoms, iii. 286. The
object of saying it four times towards the four corners of the house was
to invoke the four evangelists, just as in the child's hymn still current,
which is, in fact, a charm : —
io6 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group A.
' Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John,
Bless the bed that I He on ;
* Four angels round my bed,' &c.
Lines 3483-4 are clear, viz. ' May Jesus Christ and St. Benedict bless
this house from every wicked creature.' As this is a reproduction of
a popular saying, it is not necessary that the lines should scan ; still,
they run correctly, if we pronounce seynt as se-ynt, as elsewhere (note
to A. 509), and if w-e take both to be defective at the beginning. The
last two lines are mere scraps of older charms. It is just possible
that /or nightes veryc ^ represents an A. "Et-for nihte werigum, 'against
the evil spirits of night ' ; against whom ' the white Paternoster ' is to
be said. The reading white is perfectly correct. There really was
a prayer so called. See Notes and Queries, i Ser. xi. 206, 313;
whence we learn that the charm above quoted, beginning ' Matthew,
Mark,' &;c., resembles one in the Paieftotre Blanche, to be found in
the (apocryphal) Enchiridion Leonis Papae (Romae, mdclx), where
occurs : — ' Petite Patenotre Blanche, que Dieu fit, que Dieu dit, que
Dieu mit en Paradis. Au soir m'allant coucher, je trouvis trois anges k
mon lit, couches, un aux pieds, deux au chevet '; &c. Here is a charm
that mentions it, quoted in Notes and Queries, i Ser. viii. 613 : —
' White Paternoster, Saint Peter's brother.
What hast thou i' th' t'one hand ? White Booke leaves.
What hast i' th' t'other hand ? Heven-Yate Keyes.
Open Heaven-Yates, and steike [shut] Hell- Yates.
And let every crysome-child creepe to its owne mother.
White Paternoster ! Amen.'
The mention of St. Peter's brother is reonarkable. It is a substitution for
the older 'Saint Peter's sister' here mentioned. Again, St. Peter's
sister is a substitution for St. Peter's daughter, who is a well-known
saint, usually called St. Petronilla, or, in English, Saint Parnell, once
a very common female name, and subsequently a surname. Her day
is May 31, and she was said to cure the quartan ague ; see Brand,
Pop. Antiq., ed. Ellis, i. 363. A curious passage in the Ancren Riwle,
p. 47, gives directions for crossing oneself at night, and particularly
mentions the use of four crosses on ' four halves,' or in the original,
' vour creoices a uour halue ' ; with the remark ' Crux fugat omne
malum,' &c. For ' Rural Charms,' see the chapter in Brand's Popu-
lar Antiquities, vol. iii. ; and see the charm against rats in Political
and Love Poems, ed. Furnivall, p. 23. I may add that, in Kemble's
Solomon and Saturn, p. 136, is an A. S. poem, in which the Pater-
noster \s pefscmijied, and destroys evil spirits. In Longfellow's Golden
Legend, § II., Lucifer is made to say a Black Paternoster.
3507. ' That, if you betray me, you shall go mad (as a punishment).'
^ The black-letter editions have 7iia)-e ; and Tyrwhitt follows them. I take
this to be a mere guess.
L1.3483-635.J THE MILLERES TALE. 107
3509. labbe, chatterbox, talkative person. In P. Plowm. C. xiii. 39,
we find the phrase ' ne labbe it out,' i. e. do not chatter about it, do not
utter it foolishly. In the Romans of Partenay,ed. Skeat, 3751, we find:
* a labbyng tonge ' ; and Chaucer has elsewhere : ' a labbing shrewe,'
E. 2428. Sewel's Du. Diet. (1754) gives : ^ labben, or labbekakken, to
blab, chat ' ; also ' labbckak, a tattling gossip, a common blab ' ; and
* labbery, chat, idle talk.'
3512. him, i.e. Christ. The story of the Harrowing (or despoiling)
of Hell by Christ is derived from the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus,
and is a favourite and common subject in our older authors. It
describes the descent of Christ into hell, after His crucifixion, in
order to release the souls of the patriarchs, whom He takes with Him to
paradise. It is given at length in P. Plowman, Text C. Pass, xxi ; and
was usually introduced into the mystery plays ; see the Coventry Mys-
teries, the York Plays, &c. See also Cursor Mundi, 17,863 ; Ayenbite
of Inwyt, p. 12 ; (Sec.
3516. ' On Monday next, at the end of the first quarter of the night,'
i.e. about 9 p.m. Cf. 11. 3554, 3645.
3530. See Ecclesiasticus, xxxii. 24 [Eng. version, 19] ; this was not
said by * Solomon,' but by Jesus, son of Sirach. It is quoted again
in the Tale of Melibeus ; B. 2193.
3539. ' The trouble endured by Noah and his company.' Noe is the
form in the Latin Vulgate version. The allusion is to the intentionally
comic scene introduced into the mystery plays, as, e. g. in the Chester
Plays, the Towneley Plays, and the York Plays, in which Noah and
his sons {felaivshipe) have much ado to induce Noah's wife to enter
the ark ; and, in the course of the scene, she gives Noah a sound box
on the ear.
3548. kitnelin, a large shallow tub ; especially one used for brewing ;
see Prompt. Par\'. p. 274 ; and Kimnell in Miss Jackson's Shropshire
Glossary.
3554. firyme, i. e. about 9 a.m. See note to F. 72)-
3565. This shows that the hall was open to the roof, with cross-
beams, and that the stable was attached to it, between it and the
garden.
3590. sinne, i. e. venial sin ; see I. 859, 904, 920.
3598. Evidently a common proverb.
3616. It is obvious that the first foot is defective.
3624. His oivne hand., with his own hand. Tyrwhitt points out the
same idiom in Gower, ed. Pauli, ii. 83 : —
'The craft Minerve of wolle fond
And made cloth her owne hond.^
And again, id. ii. 310: —
' Thing which he said his owne vioiith.'
3625. rongesy rungs, rounds, steps ; stalkes, upright pieces. To
io8 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group A.
climb by the rungs and the stalks means to employ the hands as well
as the feet. A rung was also called a stayre (stairj ; and stalke is the
diminutive of stele, a handle, which was another name for the upright
part of a ladder. In Allit. Poems, ed. Morris, C. 513, the author com-
plains that some people cannot tell the difference between a stele and
a stayre ; and, in fact, the Glossary does not point it out. In the
Ancren Riwle, p. 354, we find mention of the two ladder- j/a/^j' that
are upright to the heaven, between which stales the tinds (or rungs)
are fastened. This makes the sense perfectly clear.
3637. a furlong-ivay, a i&w minutes ; exactly, two minutes and
a half, at the rate of three miles an hour.
3638. * Now say a Paternoster, and keep silence.' Accordingly, the
carpenter * says his devotion.' *C^;«/'is a word imposing silence,
like ' mum ! ' So in the Ayenbite of Inwyt, p. 266, we find : ' Yef ye
me wylleth y-here, habbeth amang you clom and reste' ; i.e. if you
wish to hear me, keep among you silence and rest.
3645. corfeiv-tyme, probably 8 P. M. The original time for ringing
the curfew-bcll, as a signal for putting out fires and lights, was eight
o'clock. The custom has been kept up in some places till the present
day ; the hour for it is sometimes 8 P.M., and sometimes 9 P.M. In
olden times, mention is usually made of the fonner of these hours ;
see Brand, Pop. Antiq. ii. 220; Prompt. Parv. p. no. People in-
variably went to bed very early ; see 1. 3633.
3655. The service of lands followed that of nocturns ; the latter
originally began at midnight, but usually somewhat later. The time
indicated seems to have been just before daybreak. ' These nocturns
should begin at such a time as to be ended just as morning's twilight
broke, so that the next of her services, the lauds, or viattititiae laudes,
might come on immediately after.'— Rock, Church of our Fathers,
iii. 2. 6. From I. 3731, we learn, however, that the night was still 'as
dark as pitch.' Perhaps the time was between two and three o'clock,
as Wright suggests.
8668. the grange, lit. granary ; but the term was applied to a farm-
house and granary on an estate belonging to a feudal manor or (as
here) to a religious house. As the estate often lay at some distance
from the abbey, it might be necessary for the carpenter, who went
to cut down trees, to stay at the grange for the night. Cf. note to P. PI.
C. XX. 71 ; and Prompt. Parv. {s.\. grawnge).
3675. at cockkes crowe ; cf. 1. 3687. The expression in 1. 3674 must
refer to Monday : the ' cock-crow' refers to Tuesday morning, when it
was still pitch-dark (1. 3731). The time denoted by the 'first cock-
crow' is very vague; see the Chapter on Cock-crowing in Brand's
Pop. Antiquities. The ' second cock-crow ' seems to be about 3 a.m.,
as in Romeo and Juliet, iv. 4. 4 ; and the ' first cock-crow,' shortly
after midnight, as in K. Lear, iii. 4. 121, i Hen. IV. ii. i. 20. An early
mention of the first cock occurs in Ypomedon, 783, in Weber's Met.
Romances, ii. 309 :— ' And at the fryst cokke roos he.' The clearest
LI. 3637-709.] THE MILLERES TALE. 109
statement is in Tusser's Husbandrie, sect. 74 (E. D. S. p. 165), where
he says that cocks crow ' At midnight, at three, and an hower ere day,'
which he afterwards explains by ' past five.'
3682. On ' itching omens,' see Miss Bume's Shropshire Fo/k-Lore,
p. 269. ' If your right hand itches, you will receive money ; ... if
your nose itches, you will be kissed, cursed, or vexed.'
3684. Cf. 'If [in a dream] you see many loaves, it portends joy';
A. S. Leechdoms, iii. 215.
3689. at point-devys, with all exactness, precisely, very neatly ; cf.
As You Like It, iii. 2. 401. O. F. devis, ' ordre, beautd ; a devis, par
devis, en bel ordre, d'une manicre bien ordonn^e, k gre, h. souhait';
Godefroy. See F. 560 ; Rom. of the Rose, 121 5.
3690. greyn, evidently some sweet or aromatic seed or spice ;
apparently cardamoms, otherwise called grains of Paradise (New
E. Diet.) '■ Greynys, spyce, Granuvi Paradisi' ; Prompt. Parv. ;
see Way's note. Cf. Rom. of the Rose, 1369, and the note (vol. i.
p. 428).
3692. trewe-love, (probably) a leaf of herb-paris ; in the efficacy of
which he had some superstitious belief. True-lo7>e is sometimes used
as an abbreviation of true-love knot, as in the last stanza of the
Court of Love ; and such is the case here. True-love knots were of
various shapes ; see pictures of four such in Ogilvie's Dictionary.
Some had four loops, which gave rise to the name true-love as applied
to herb-paris. Gerarde's Herball, 1597, p. 328, thus describes herb-
paris {Paris quadrifolia) : — At the top of the stalk ' come foorth fower
leaves directly set one against another, in manner of a Burgonnion
crosse or a true love knot ; for which cause among the auncients it
hath beene called herbe Trueloi'e.' It is still called True Love's
Knot in Cumberland.
3700. Note the rime oi to me with dnam-6-7ne.
3708. lakke, Jack, here an epithet of a fool, like lankin (B. 1172) ;
and see note to B. 4CKX). Cf. E. zariy.
3709. ' It wilt not be (a case of) come-kiss-me.' Chaucer has ba,
to kiss, D. 433; and cowe-ba-me, i.e. come kiss me, is here used as
a phrase; so that the line simply means 'you certainly will not get
a kiss ! ' Observe the rime with bla-vie. Bas also meant to kiss, and
Skelton uses the words together (ed. Dyce, i. 22) : —
'With ba, ba, ba, and bas, bas, bas,
She cheryshed hym, both cheke and chyn ' ;
i.e. with repeated kisses on cheek and chin. So again (i. 127) we find :
* bas Die, buttyng, praty Cys ! ' And so again (ii. 6) : ' bas 7iie, swete
Parrot, bas me, swete, swete ! ' Further illustration is afforded by
Burton's Anat. of Melancholy, pt. 3. sec. 2. mem. 4. subsec. i : ' Yea,
many times, this love will make old men and women . . . dance, covie-
kiss-7?ie-7io%i>, mask, and mum.' This complete explanation of an old
crux was first given by Mr. Ellis, in 1870, in his Early Eng. Pro-
no NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group A.
nunciation, p. 715, who notes that the reading com ba me is fairly well
supported; see his Critical Note. Several MSS. turn it into com-
f)ame, which is clearly due to the influence of the familiar word
compatiye, which repeatedly ends a line in Chaucer. Mr. Ellis well
remarks — ' Co7n lame! was probably the name of a song, like . . . the
modern " Kiss me quick, and go, my love." It is also probable that
Absolon's speech contained allusions to it, and that it was very well
known at the time.'
The curious part of the story is that, in 1889, I adopted the same
reading independently, and for precisely similar reasons. But Mr. Ellis
was before me, by nineteen years. See 1. 3716 below.
The following MSS. (says Mr. Ellis) read combame\ viz. Harl. 7335
— Camb. Univ. Library, li. 3. 26 — Trin. Coll. Camb. R. 3. 3^Rawl.
MS. Poet. 141. V>oA\.^\i,\\'&s,ciimbame\ whilst Rawl. Misc. 1 133 and
Laud 739 have come ba vie.
3713. Lit. *in the way to twenty devils'; hence, in the name of
twenty devils. * In the twenty deuyll way. An nom du grant diable ' ;
Palsgrave (1852), p. 838. See 11. 3134, 4257.
3721-2. These two lines are in E. only ; Tyrwhitt omits them. But
the old black-letter editions retain them.
3728. He knelt down, because the window was so low (3696).
3725. Cf. ' For who-so kissing may attayne ' ; Rom. Rose, 3677 ;
and Ovid, Ars Amatoria, i. 669.
3726. t/iyn ore, thy favour, thy grace; the words 'grant me' being
understood. It is not uncommon.
' Syr Lybeaus durstede [thirsted] sore.
And seyde, Maugys, ///>'« ore,
To drynke lette me go.'
Ritson, Met. Romances, ii. 57.
' I haue siked moni syk, lemmon, /or thin ore ' ;
Boddeker's Altengl. Dichtungen, p. 174.
See Specimens of E. Eng., Part I ; Glossary to Havelok; &c.
3728. com of, i. e. be quick ; like Have do, have done ! We now say
' come on ! ' But strictly, cotne on means ' begin,' and come off means
* make an end.'
3751. ' If it be not so that, rather than possess all this town, I would
like to be avenged.'
3770. viritoot must be accepted as the reading ; the reading verytrot
in MS. HI. gives a false rime, as the 00 in woot is long. The meaning
is unknown ; but the context requires the sense of ' upon the move,' or
' astir.' My guess is that viri- is from F. vire7; to turn (cf. E .virelay),
and that toot represents O. F. tot (L. totum, F. tout), all ; so that viri-
toot may mean * turn-all.' Cotgrave gives virevoidte, ' a veere, whirle
a round gamball, friske, or tume,' like the Portuguese viravolta. The
form verytrot (very trot) is clearly due to an attempt to make sense. M S.
Cam. has merytot, possibly with reference to M. E. merytoter, a swing
LI. 37I3-8I8.] THE MILLERES TALE. iii
(Catholicon) ; which is derived from mery, merrj', and ioterefi, to totter,
oscillate. In the North of England, a swing is still called a vierry-irotter
(corruption of merry-totter)^ as noted by Halliwell, who remarks that
' the vte7'itot is mentioned by Chaucer,' which is not the fact. Both
these 'glosses' give the notion of movement, as this is obviously the
general sense implied. Whatever the reading may be, we can see the
sense, viz. * some gay girl (euphemism for light woman) has brought you
thus so early astir '; and Gervase accordingly goes on to say, ' you know
what I mean.'
Ed. 1561 has berytote, a misprint for verytote.
3771. Here as elsewhere, i'r-//?/ is dissyllabic ; several MSS. have
sehtte, but this can hardly be right. Y or N'ote, MSS. Pt. HI. have Noet,
meaning St. Neot, whose day is Oct. 28, and whose name remains in
St. Neot's, in Cornwall, and St. Neot's, in Huntingdonshire. He died
about 877 ; see Wright's Biogr. Brit. Litt., A. S. Period, p. 381. The
spelling N^ote is remarkable, as the mod. E. name (pronounced as AVt'/,
riming w'xih. feet) suggests the A.S. form Neot, and M. E. Neei.
3774. A proverbial phrase. Tyrwhitt quotes from Froissart, v. iv.
p. 92, ed. 1574 ; ' 11 aura en bref temps autres estoupes en sa quen-
oille.' To ' have tow on one's distaff' is to have a task in hand. ' Towe
on my dystaf have I for to spynne'; Hoccleve, De Regimine Princi-
pum, p. 45.
3777. As lene, pray lend ; see note to E. 7.
3782. MS. HI. has/?, w^hich is silently altered to /<7/^ by Bell and
Wright. Tyrwhitt also has fote, which he found in the black-letter
editions. The reading foo is probably quite right, and is an inten-
tional substitution ior/oot. It is notorious that oaths were constantly
made unmeaning, to avoid a too open profanity. In Chaucer, we have
cokkes bones, H. 9, I. 29, and Corpus bones, C. 314. Another corrup-
tion of a like oath is ^s foot, Shak. Troil. ii. 3. 6, which is docked at the
other end. It is poor work altering MSS. so as to destroy evidence.
Cristesfoo might mean ' the devil '; but this is unlikely.
3785. stele, handle ; i. e. by the cold end, which served as a handle.
See note to D. 949. stele, i. e. steel, would give a false rime.
3811. Tyrwhitt inserted al before aboute in his text, but withdrew it
in his notes. The A. S. has hand-brad, but the M.E. hand-e-brede
had at least three syllables, if not four. This is shewn by M S. spellings
and by the metre, and still more clearly by Wyclifs Bible, which has :
*a spanne, that is, an handibreede^ Ezek. xl. $ (later version). It may
have been formed by analogy with M. E. handiiverk (A. S. hand-geweorc)
and handewrit (A. S. hand-gewrit). But the form is handbrede in
Palladius on Husbandry, p. 80, 1. 536.
3818. Noivelis flood is the mistake of the illiterate carpenter for
Noes flood; see it again in 1. 3834, where he is laughed at for having
used the expression in his previous talks with the clerk and his wife.
It is on a par with his astromye (note to 1. 3451). He was less
familiar with the Noe of the Bible than with the Nowel of the carol-
TI2 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group A.
singers at Christmas ; see F. 1255. The editors carefully 'correct' the
poet. In ]. 3834, Nowclis helps the scansion, whilst Noes spoils the
line, which has to be ' amended.' The readings are : E. Hn. as in the
iext\ Cm. Pt. Ln. the Nowels flood ; Pt. the Noes flood ; HI. He was
agast and feerd of Noes flood. Tyrwhitt actually reads ; He was
agast-e so of Noes flood ; regardless of the fact that agast has no
final -e. The carpenter's mistake is the more pardonable when we
notice that No'e was sometimes used, instead of A^i^i'7,to mean 'Christ-
mas.' For an example, see the Pontes de Champagne, Reims, 1851,
p. 146.
3821. This singular expression is from the French. Tyrwhitt
cites. 'Ainc tant come il mist a descendre,
Ne trouva point de pain a vendre,'
i.e. he found no bread to sell in his descent. His reference is to the
Fabliaux, t. ii. p. 282 ; Wright refers, for the same, to the fabliau of
Aloul, in Barbazan, 1. 591. I suppose the sense is, 'he never stopped,
as if to transact business.'
3822. E. Hn. celle ; r<fj-/selle. The word ^^//^ might mean ' chamber.'
There was an approach to the roof, which they had reached by help
of a ladder ; and the three tubs were hung among the balks which
fonned the roof of the principal sitting-room below. But it is difficult
to see how the word celle could be applied to the chief room in the
house. Tyrwhitt explains selle as 'door-sill or threshold'; but we
must bear in mind that the visual M. E. form of sill was either sille
or sulle, from A. S. sylL The spelling with s proves nothing, since
Chaucer undoubtedly means 'cell' in A. 1376, where Cm. HI. have
selle, and in B. 3162, where three MSS. (Cp. Pt. Ln.) all read j-^//t^ again.
Why the carpenter should have arrived at the door-sill, I do not know.
Nevertheless, upon further thoughts, I accept Tyrwhitt's view, with
some modification. We find that Chaucer actually uses Kentish forms
(with e for A. S.j) elsewhere, for the sake of a rime. A clear case is
that oi/ul/elle, in Troil. iii. 5 10. This justifies the dat. form selle (A, S.
sylle). But we must take selle to mean ' flooring ' or ' boarding,' and
Jloor to mean the ground beneath it ; just as we find, in Widegren's
Swedish Dictionary, that syll means ' the timber next the ground.'
I would therefore read selle, with the sense of ' flooring'; and I explain
Jloor by 'flat earth.' In the allit. Morte Arthure, -^z^c^jjlores signifies
'plains.' In Gawayn and the Grene Knyght, 55, sille means ' floor.'
3841. Observe the form cape, as a variant oi gape, both here and in
1. 3444 (see footnotes) ; and in Troil. v. 1 133.
The Reve's Prologue.
3855. For laughen, Tyrwhitt has laughed, and in 1. 3858 has the
extraordinary form lought, but he corrects the former of these in his
U 3831-78.] THE REVE'S PROLOGUE. 113
Notes. The verb was originally strong ; see examples in Stratmann,
s. V. hlahhen.
3857. Repeated, nearly, in F. 202 ; see note,
3864. so theek, for so thee ik, so may I thrive, as I hope to thrive.
The Reve came from Norfolk, and Chaucer makes him use the Northern
ik for / in this expression, and again in 1. 3867 (in the phrase zk am),
and in 1. 3888 (in the phrase ik have), but not elsewhere ; whence it
would seem that ik for /was then dying out in Norfolk ; it has now
died out even in the North. Both the Host and the Canon's Yeoman
use the Southern form so theech ; see C. 947, G. 929. Cf. so the iky
P. PL, B. V. 228.
3865. To blear (lit. to dim) one's eye was to delude, hoodwink, or
cheat a man. So also blered is ihynye, H. 252.
3868. gras-tijne, the time when a horse feeds himself in the fields.
My fodder is no70 forage, my food is now such as is provided for me ;
I am like a horse in winter, whose food is hay in a stable, Thynne
animadverts upon this passage (Animadversions, p. 39), and says that
forage means ' such harde and olde prouisione as ys made for horses
and cattle in winter,' He remarks, justly, \\\zX forage is but loosely
used in Sir Thopas, B, 1973.
3869. I take this to mean — * my old years write (mark upon me)
this white head,' i, e. turn me grey.
3870. ' My heart is as old (lit. mouldy) as my hairs are.' Mouled
is the old pp, out of which we have made the mod. E. niould-y, adding
•y by confusion with the adj. formed from mould, the ground. It is
fully explained in the Addenda to my Etym. Diet. 2nd ed. p, 818 ; and
the verb motilen, to grow mouldy, occurs in B, 32.
3871. 'Unless I grow like a medlar, which gets worse all the
while, till it be quite rotten, when laid up in a heap of rubbish or
straw,'
3876. hoppe?i, dance ; alluding to Luke vii. 32, where Wyclif has :
* we han sungun to you with pipis, and ye han not daunsid.'
3877. nayl, a hindrance ; like a nail that holds a box from being
opened, or that catches a man's clothes, and holds him back.
3878. 'E quegli che contro alia mia eta parlando vanno, mostramal
che conoscano che, perchfe il porro abbia il capo bianco, che la coda
sia verde'; and, as for those that go speaking about my age, it shews
that they ill understand how, although the leek has a white head, its
tail (or blade) is green ; Boccaccio, Decamerone ; introduction to the
Fourth Day. So also in Northward Ho, by Dekker and Webster,
Act iv. so. I : 'garlic has a white head and a green stalk'; where Dyce
remarks that it occurs again in The Honest Lawyer, 1616, sig, G 2.
Cf. P. Plowman, B, xiii. 352.
3878-82. Compare Alanus de Insulis, Parabolae, cap. I (in Leyser's
collection, p. 1067) : —
* Extincti cineres, si ponas sulphura, uiuent ;
Sic uetus apposita mente calescit amor.'
TI4 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a.
3882. For olde, T. has cold, I cannot guess why : smouldering ashes
are more Hkely to be hot. Old ashes mean ashes left after a fire has
died down, in which, if raked together, fire can be long preserved.
* Still, in our old ashes, is fire collected.' See the parallel passage in
Troilus, ii. 538.
In Soliman and Persida (Dodsley's Old Plays, ed. Hazlitt, v. 339J
we find : —
'as the fire
That lay, with honour's hand raked up in ashes,
Revives again to flames.'
We are reminded of line 92 in Gray's Elegy : — ' Ev'n in our ashes live
their wonted fires ' ; but Gray himself tells us that he was thinking,
not of Chaucer, but of Sonnet 169 (170) of Petrarch : —
' Ch' i veggio nel pensier, dolce mio fuoco,
Fredda una lingua e due begli occhi chiusi,
Rimaner doppo noi pien di faville' —
i. e. which flove-songs) I see in thought, O my sweet flame, when fmy)
one tongue is cold, and (your) two fine eyes are closed, remaining
after us, full of sparkles.
y-reke, raked or heaped together, collected. Not explained by
Wright or Morris ; Tyrwhitt explains it by ' smoking,' and takes it to
be a present participle, which is impossible. It is the pt. t. of the
scarce strong verb reken, pt. t. rak, pp. y-reken, y-reke, of which the
primary notion was to 'gather together.' It occurs, just once, in
Gothic, in the translation of Romans, xii. 20: 'haurja funins rikts
ana haubith is,' i. e. coals of fire shalt thou heap together on his
head. It is the very verb from which the sb. rake is derived. See
Rake in my Etym. Diet., and the G. Rechefi in Kluge. The notion
is taken from the heaping together of smouldering ashes to preser\-e
the fire within. Lydgate copies this image in his Siege of Troye,
ed. 1555, fol. B4:—
' But inward brent of hate and of enuy
The hoote fyre, and yet there was no smeke [smoke],
So couertly the malyce was yreke.'
3895. diwibe. ' The prominency of the staves beyond the head of
the barrel. The imagery is ^'ery exact and beautiful'; Tyrwhitt.
''Chime (pronounced choim), sb. a stave of a cask, barrel, &c.' ;
Leicestershire Glossary (E. D. S.) Urry gives ' Chimbe, the Rim of
a Cooper's Vessel on the outside of the Head. The ends of the Staves
from the Grooves outward are called the Chimes! Hexham's Du.
Diet, has: *■ Kiinen, Kimmen, the Brimmes of a tubb or a barrill.'
Sewel's Du. Diet, has : ^ Kim, the brim of a barrel.' The Bremen
Kiimn signifies not only the rim of a barrel, but the edge of the
horizon ; cf. Dan. Kiming, Ki7iimi?ig, the horizon. See further in
New E. Diet.
Li.3882-9n.] THE REVE'S PROLOGUE. 115
3901-2. what amounteth, to what amounts. What shul, why
must.
3904. Tyrwhitt refers us to Ex sutore viedicus, Phxdrus, lib. i.
fab. 14 ; and to ex sittore nauclenis, alluded to by Pynson the
printer, at the end of his edition of Littleton's Tenures, 1525 (.\mes,
p. 488).
y 3906. Depcford (lit. deep ford), Deptford ; just beyond which is
1/ Grencwich, Greenwich. Thus the pilgrims had not advanced very far,
considering that the Knight and Miller had both told a tale. They .
had made an early start, and it was now ' half-way prime.' ' Deptford,'
says Dr. Fumivall, 'is 3 miles down the road [or a little more, it
depends upon whence we reckon] ; and, as only the Reeve's Tale
and the incomplete Cook's Tale follow in Group A, we must suppose
that Chaucer meant to insert here [at the end of Group A] the
Tales of some, at least, of the Five City-Mechanics and the Plough-
man .... in order to bring his party to their first night's resting-
place, Dartford, 15 miles from London '; Temp. Preface, p. 19. 'The
deep ford,' I may remark, must have been the one through the Ravens-
bourn. Deptford and Greenwich (where, probably, Chaucer was then
residing) lay off the Old Kent Road, on the left ; hence the host
points them out.
half-way prime. That is, half-past seven o'clock ; taking prime to
mean the first quarter of the day, or the period from 6 to 9 a.m.
It was also used to denote the end of that period, or 9 a.m., as in
B. 4387, where the meaning is certain. In my Preface to Chaucer's
Astrolabe, (E. E. T. S.), I said: ' What ^m/?^ means in all cases, I do
not pretend to say. It is a most difiicult word, and I think was
used loosely. It might mean the beginning or end of a period, and the
period might be an hour, or a quarter of a day. I think it was to
obviate ambiguity that the end of the period was sometimes expressed
by high prime, or passed prime, or prime large ; we also find such
expressions as half prime, halfrvay pri)ne, or not filly prime, which
indicate a somewhat long period. For further remarks, see Mr. Brae's
Essay on Chaucer's Prime, in his edition of the Astrolabe, p. 90. I add
some references for the word prime, which may be useful. We find
prime in Kn. Ta. 1331 (A. 2189) ; Mill. Ta. 368 (A. 3554) ; March. Ta.
613 (E. 1857) ; Pard. Ta. 200 (C. 662) ; Ship. Ta. 206 (B. 1396) ; Squi.
Ta. 65 (F. 73) ; fully prime, Sir Topas, 114 (B. 2015) ; halfway prime,
Reve's Prol. 52 (k. 3906) ; passed prime. Ship. Ta. 88 (B. 1278), Fre. Ta.
178 (D. 1476J ; prime lai-ge, Squi. Ta. ii. 14 (F. 360). See a.\s,oprime in
Troilus, ii. 992, v. 15 ; passed prime, ii. 1095 (in the same) ; an houre
after the prime, ii. 1557.' Cf. notes to F. 73, &c.
3911. somdel, in some degree, sette his howve, the same as set his
cappe, i. e. make him look foolish ; see notes to A. 586, 3143. To come
behind a man, and alter the look of his head-gear, was no doubt
a common trick ; now that caps are moveable, the perennial joy of the
street-boy is to run off with another boy's cap.
I 2
ii6 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group A.
3912. * For it is allowable to repel (shove oflf) force by force.' The
Ellesmere MS. has here the sidenote — 'vim vi repellere.'
3919. sialke, (here) a bit of stick; "Lai. festtica. baike, a beam;
Lat. trabs. See the Vulgate version of Matt. vii. 3.
The Reves Tale.
The origin of this Tale was a French Fabliau, like one that was
first pointed out by Mr. T. Wright, and printed in his Anecdota
Literaria, p. 15. Another similar one is printed in Meon's edition
of Barbazan's Fabliaux, iii. 239 (Paris, 1808). Both were reprinted
for the Chaucer Society, in Originals and Analogues, &c., p. Zy. See
further in vol. iii. p. 397.
3921. Tnevipington. The modern mill, beside the bridge over the
Granta, between the villages of Trumpington and Grantchester, is
familiar to all Cambridge men ; but this mill and bridge are both com-
paratively modem, being placed upon an artificial channel. The old
' bridge ' is that over the old river-bed, somewhat nearer Trumpington ;
the * brook ' is this old course of the Granta, which is hereabouts very
narrow and circuitous ; and the mill stood a quarter of a mile above
the bridge, at the spot marked 'Old Mills' on the ordnance-map,
though better known as 'Byron's pool,' which is the old mill-pool.
The fen mentioned in 1. 4065 is probably the field between the Old
Mills and the road, which must formerly have been fen-land ; though
Lingay Fen may be meant, which covers the space between Bourne
Brook (flowing into the Granta at the Old Mills) and the Cambridge
and Bedford Railway. We like to think that Chaucer saw the spot
himself; but he certainly seems to have thought that Trumpington was
somewhat further from Cambridge than it really is, as he actually makes
the clerks to have been benighted there ; and he might easily have
learnt some local particulars from his wife's friend, Lady Blaunche de
Trumpington, or from Sir Roger himself. In any case, it is interesting
to find him thus boldly assigning a known locality to a mill which he
had found in a French fabliau.
3927. Pypen, play the bag-pipe ; see A. 565, The Reeve is clearly
tr)'ing to make his description suit the Miller in the company, whom
it is his express object to tease. Hence he says he could wrestle well
(cf. A. 548J and could play the bag-pipe.
7ieties bete, mend nets ; he knew how to net.
3928. iu}'7w coppes, turn cups, make wooden cups in a turning-
lathe; not a very difficult operation. It is curious that Tyrwhitt gave
up trj'ing to explain this simple phrase. In Riley's ]Memorials of Lon-
don, p. 666, we find that, in 1418, when the English were besieging
Rouen, it was enacted that ' the turners should have 4^-. for ever>'
hundred of 2,500 cups, in all looi-.': so that a wooden cup could be
turned at the cost of a halfpenny.
LI. 3912-36.] THE REVES TALE. 117
3929. Printed pavcule by Tyrwhitt, pauade by Thynne (ed. 1532),
\>\x\. panade m Wright. Levins' ]Manipulus \'ocabulorun-i (1570) has:
* A VhMWiY., pitgio''\ but this is probably copied from Thynne. The
exact form is not found in O. F., but Godefroy's O. F. Diet, gives :
^ Pefiaf't, peiitiarty penard, panart, pannartf coutelas, espece de grand
couteau k deux tranchants ou taillants, sorte de poignard ' ; with
seven examples, one of which shows that it could be hung at the
belt : * Un grant pennart qu'il avoit pendu a sa sainture.' Ducange
gives the Low Lat. ioxm. penardus, and wrongly connects it with Y.
poignard, from which it is clearly distinct ; but he also gives the
iorm.pcnttaiu/11 with the sense of pruning-knife,' and Torriano gives
an Ital. pennato with the same sense. Cf. Lat. bi-pennis. It was
a two-edged cutlass, worn in addition to his sword ; and see below.
It is also printed pauade in Lydgate's Siege of Troy, ed. 1555,
fol. N 5, back.
393L popper, thruster, i.e. dagger; from the \trh pop, to thrust in ;
cf. poke. loly probably means ' neat ' or ' small.' This was the
Miller's third weapon of offence, of which he had three sizes, viz.
a sword, a cutlass, and a little dagger like a misericorde, used for
piercing between the joints of armour. No wonder that no one durst
touch him 'for peril.' Tho. poppere answers to the boydekin of 1. 3960,
q. V. And besides these, he carried a knife. ' Toppe, to stryke ' ;
Cathol. Angl. p. 286.
3933. thwitel, knife ; from A. S. thwUati, to cut ; now ill-spelt
"whittle. The portraits of Chaucer show a knife hanging from his
breast ; accordingly, in Greene's Description of Chaucer, we find this
line : 'A whittle by his belt he bare'; see Greene's Works, ed. Dyce,
1883, p. 320. Note that Sheffield was already celebrated for its cutlerj' ;
so in the Witch of Edmonton, Act ii. sc. 2, Somerton speaks of ' the
new pair of Sheffield knives.^
3934. camtise (HI. camois), low and concave ; cf. 1. 3974 below.
F. camiis, 'flat-nosed'; Cotgrave. Ital. camtiso, 'one with a flat
nose'; Florio. See Camois in the New E. Diet., where it is thus
explained : ' Of the nose : low and concave. Of persons : pug-nosed.'
To the examples there given, add the following from Holland's tr.
of Pliny, i. 229 ; ' As for the male goats, they are held for the best
which are most camoise or snout-nosed.' Hexham's Du. Diet., s. v.
Neiise, has the curious entry : ' een Camuys ende opiuaeris gaende
Neuse [lit. a camus and upwards-going Nose], Camell-nosed.'
3936. market-beter, a frequenter of markets, who swaggered about,
and was apt to be quarrelsome and in the way of others. See Wyelif s
Works, ed. Matthew, pp. 511, 520; and cf. F. battre le pave, ' aller et
venir sans but, sans occupation'; Littre. And cf. E. 'policeman's
beat* Cotgrave has : ' Bateur de pavez, a pavement-beater ; . . one
that walks much abroad, and riots it wheresoever he walks.' The
following passage from the Complaint of the Ploughman (in Wright's
Polit. Poems, i. 330) makes it clear —
ii8 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a.
* At the wrastling, and at the wake,
And chief chantours at the nale [a/e] ;
Market-beaters, and medling make,
Hoppen and houten \]iooi\, with heve and hale.'
A synonymous term was market-dasher, spelt market-daschare in the
Prompt. Parv. ; see Way's note.
aftefulle, completely, entirely.
3941. Stinkin, diminutive of Siviond, which was his real name
(11. 4022, 4127). Altered to Sim-e-kin by Tyrwhitt, for the scansion ;
but cf. 11. 3945, 3947, 4034, &c. He makes the same alteration in
1. 3959, for a like reason, but we may scan it : ' But if | he wold | e
be I slayn,' &c. All the MSS. have Symkyii, except HI., which has
Symckyn here and in 1. 3959. We must either make the fomi
variable, or else treat the word de-y-notis as a trisyllable. Deynous
was his regular epithet.
3943. This statement, that the parson of the town was her father,
has caused surprise. In Bell's Chaucer, the theory is started that the
priest had been a widower before he took orders, which no one can be
expected to believe ; it is too subtle. It is clear that she was an
illegitimate daughter ; this is why her father paid money to get her
married to a miller, and why she thought ladies ought to spare her
(and not avoid her), because it was an honour to have a priest for
a father, and because she had learnt so much good-breeding in
a nunnery. The case is only too clear ; cf. note to 1. 3963.
8953. iipet, not here a cape, but the long pendant from the hood
at one time fashionable, which Simkin wound round his head, in
order to get it out of the way. See Tippett in Fairholt's Costume in
England ; Glossary. Cf. notes to A. 233, 682.
3954. So also the Wife of Bath had 'gay scarlet gytes''; D. 559.
Spelt gide in MS. Ln., and gyde in Blind Harry's Wallace, i. 214:
* In-till a gyde of gudly ganand greyne,' where it is used of a gay
dress worn by Wallace. It occurs also twice in Golagros and
Gawain, used of the gay dress of a woman ; see Jamieson. Nares
shews that gite is used once by Fairfax, and thrice by Gascoigne.
The sense is usually dubious ; it may mean ' robe,' or, in some places,
' head-dress.' The g was certainly hard, and the word is of F. origin.
Godefroy gives ^ guite, chapeau'; and Roquefort has 'wite, voile.'
The F. Gloss, appended to Ducange gives the word ivitart as applied
to a man, and ivitarde as applied to a woman. Cf. O. F. luiart, which
Roquefort explains as a woman's veil, whilst Godefroy explains guiart
as a dress or vestment. The form of the word suggests a Teutonic
origin ; perhaps from O. H. G. wit, wide, ample, which would explain
its use to denote a veil or a robe indifferently. Ducange suggests
a derivation from Lat. uiita, which is also possible.
3956. daine, lady ; see A. 376.
3959, wold-e, wished, seems to be dissyllabic ; see note to 1. 3941.
LL 3941-90.] THE REVES TALE. 119
3960. boydckin, dagger, as in B. 3S92, q. v. Cf. note to 1. 3931.
3962. ' At any rate, they would that their wives should think so.'
Wenden, pt. pi. subj. of weneji.
3963. smoterlich^ besmutched ; cf. bismotered in A. 76. Tyrwhitt
says : ' it means, I suppose, smutty, dirty ; but the whole passage is
obscure.' Rather, it is perfectly clear when the allusion is perceived.
The allusion is to the smutch upon her reputation, on account of her
illegitimacy. This explains also the use oi somdel', ' because she was,
in some measure, of indifferent reputation, she was always on her
dignity, and ready to take offence'; which is true to human nature.
Thus the whole context is illuminated at once.
3964. dtgne, full of dignity, and therefore (as Chaucer says, with
exquisite satire) like (foul) water in a ditch, which keeps every one at
a proper distance. However, the satire is not Chaucer's own, but due
to a popular proverbial jest, which occurs again in The Ploughman's
Crede, 1. 375, where the Dominican friars are thus described : —
*Ther is more pryve pride in Prechours hertes
Than ther lefte [remained] in Lucyfer, er he were lowe fallen ;
They ben digne as dich-waier, that dogges in baytcth ' {feed in\.
And, again, in the same, 1. 355 :—
'For with the princes of pride the Prechours dwellen.
They bene as digne as the devel, that droppeth fro hevene.'
Hence digne is proud, repulsive.
3965. 'And full of scorn and reproachful taunting'; like the lady in
Lay de Freine, 1. 60 (in Weber's Met. Romances, i. 359) : —
'A proud dame and an enuious,
Hokerfulliche missegging,
Squeymous and eke scorning ;
To ich woman sche hadde envie.'
Hoker is the A. S. hocor, scorn. Bismare is properly of two syllables
only (A. S. bistnor), but is here made into three ; MS. Cp. has bise-
mare, and HI. has bisseviare, and the spelling bisemare also appears
much earlier, in the Ancren Riwle, p. 132, and bisemcere in Layamon,
i. 140. Owing to a change in the accentuation, the etymology had
been long forgotten. See Bismer in the New E. Diet., and see the
Glossary.
3966. ' It seemed to her that ladies ought to treat her with considera-
tion,' and not look down upon her ; see note to 1. 3943.
3977. The person, the parson, i.e. her grandfather.
3980. ' And raised difficulties about her marriage.'
3990. The Soler-halle has been guessed to be Clare Hall, merely
because that college was of early foundation, and was called a ' hall.'
But a happy find by Mr. Riley tells us better, and sets the question at
rest. In the First Report of the Historical MSS. Commission, p. 84,
Mr. Riley gives several extracts from the Bursar's Books of King's
120 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a.
Hall, in which the word solarium repeatedly occurs, shewing that this
Hall possessed numerous solaria, or sun-chambers, used as dwelling-
rooms, apparently by the fellows. They were probably fitted with
bay-windows. This leaves little doubt that Soler-Hall was another
name for King's Hall, founded in 1337 by Edward III, and now
merged in Trinity College. It stood on the ground now occupied by
the Great Gate, the Chapel, Bowling-green, and Master's Lodge of
that celebrated college. On the testimony of Chaucer, we learn that
the King's Hall, even in his time, was ' a greet collegge.' Its successor
is the largest in England.
In Wright's Hist, of Domestic Manners, pp. 83, 127, 128, it is
explained that the early stone-built house usually had a hall on the
ground-floor, and a soler above. The latter, being more protected,
was better lighted, and was considered a place of greater security.
' In the thirteenth century a proverbial characteristic of an avaricious
and inhospitable person, was to shut his hall-door and live in the soler ^
It was also 'considered as the room of honour for rich lodgers or
guests who paid well.' Udall speaks of * the solares, or loftes of my
hous '; tr. of Erasmus' Apophthegmes, Aug. Casar, § 27.
3999. made fare, made a to-do (as we now say).
4014. Slrolher, There is now no town of this name in England,
but the reference is probably to a place which gave its name to
a Northumbrian family. Mr. Gollancz tells me : — ' The Strother family,
of Northumberland, famous in the fourteenth century, was a branch of
the Strothers, of Castle Strother in Glendale, to the west of Woolen
The chief member of this Northumberland branch seems to have been
Alan de Strother iht younger, who died in 1381. (See Calendarium
Inquis. post Mortem, 4 Ric. II, vol. iii. p. 32.) The records contain
numerous references to him ; e. g. " Aleyn de Struther, conestable de
nostre chastel de Rokesburgh," A. D. 1366 (Rymer's Fccdera, iii. 784);
"Alanum del Strother, vicecomitem de Rokesburgh et vicecomitem
Northumbrian" (id. iii. 919). It is a noteworthy point that this Alan
de Strother had a son Johnl This definite information does away
with the old guess, that Strother is a mistake for Langstrothdale
Chase almost at the N.W. extremity of the W. Riding of Yorkshire,
joining the far end of Wharfdale to Ribblesdale, and even now
not very accessible, though it can be reached from Ribblehead
station, on the Skipton and Carlisle Railway, or from Horton-in-
Ribblesdale.
I suppose that Castle Strother, mentioned above, must have been
near Kirknewton, some 5 miles or so to the west of Wooler. The
river Glen falls into the Till, which is a tributary' of the Tweed. I find
mention, in 1358-9, of ' Henry de Strother, of Kirknewton in Glen-
dale'; Brand, Hist, of Newcastle, ii. 414, note. W. Hutchinson, in
his View of Northumberland, 1778, i. 260, speaks of 'Kirknewton, one
of the manors of the Barony of Wark, the ancient residence of the
Strothers, now the property of John Strother Ker, Esq.'
LI. 3999-40I4-] THE REVES TALE. 121
We may here notice some of the characteristics of the speech
which Chaucer assigns to these two students from Northumberland.
(a) They use a for A. S. a, where Chaucer usually has o (long and
open). Ex. na (Ch. no), swa (so), ham [hoom), gas {goo\h), fra {fro),
banes {bones), anes {ones), waat {ivoot), raa {ro), bathe {bothe),ga {go),
tiva {two), ivha {tuho). Similarly we find saule for Ch. soiile, soul, iald
for told, halde for holde, awcn for oiocn, own.
{b) They use a for A. S. short a before ng. Ex. wanges, but Ch.
also has wang-iooth, B. 3234 ; sang for song (4170), lange for longe,
wrang for lurong.
{c) They use (perhaps) ee for 00 ; as in geen for goon, gone, 407S ;
neen for noon, none, 4185. This is remarkable, and, in fact, the
readings vary, as noted. Gecji, neen are in I^IS. E. Note also pit
for put, 4088.
{d) They use the indicative sing, and pi. in -es or -s. Ex. 3 pers.
iin^./ar-es, bo-es,ga-s, wagg-es, fall-es,/ynd-es, 4130, bring-es, tyd-es,
4175, say-s, 4180. Pi. iverk-es, 4030. So also is I, Its, thou is, 40S9.
In 1. 4045, we find arc ye, E. ; ar ye {better), Hn. ; ere ye, Cp. HI. ; is
ye, Cm. Pt. ; es ye, Ln. Both ar [er) and is {cs) are found in the
present tense plural in Northern works; loe is occurs in Barbour's
Bruce, iii. 317. It is not ' ungrammatical,' as Tyrwhitt supposes.
(e) Other grammatical peculiarities are : sat for shat, shall, 4087 ;
s/yk for swiche, such, 4173; ivhilk for whichc, 41 71 ; thair for liir,
their, 4 1 72 (which is now the standard use) ; hethen for henries, hence,
4033 ; til for to (but Chaucer sometimes uses /// himself, chiefly
before a vowel) ; y-mel for amongcs, 4171 ; gi/iov //| 4181.
if) Besides the use of the peculiar forms mentioned in {e), we find
certain words employed which do not occur elsewhere in Chaucer,
viz. boes (see note to 4027), lathe, barn, fonne, fool, hething, con-
tempt, taa, take. To these Tyrwhitt adds gar, reading Gar us have
mete in 1. 4132, but I can only find Get us soin mete in my seven MSS.
Caput, horse, occurs again in D. 1554, 2150.
I think Mr. Ellis a little underrates the 'marked northernism' of
Chaucei-'s specimens. Certainly thou is is as marked as / is ; and
other certain marks are the pi. indie, in -es, as in iverk-es, 4030, the
use of sal for ' shall,' of boes for * behoves,' of taa for ' take,' of hethen
for 'hence,' of slyk for 'such,' the prepositions fra and y-fnel, and
even some of the peculiarities of pronunciation, as a for 0, wrang for
wrofig.
It is worth enquiring whether Chaucer has made any mistakes, and
it is clear that he has made several. Thus as clerkes sayn (4028)
should be as clerkes says ; and sayth should again be says in 1. 4210.
In 1. 4171, hem (them) should be thaim. In 1. 4180, y-greved ^o\x\A
be greved; the Northern dialect knows nothing of the prefix y-. It
also ignores the final -e in definite adjectives ; hence thy fair-e (4023),
this short-e (4265), and this la7ig-e (4175) all have a superfluous -e.
Of course this is what we should expect ; the poet merely gives
122 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a.
a Northern colouring to his diction to amuse us ; he is not trying to
teach us Northern grammar. The general effect is excellent, and
that is all he was concerned with.
4020. The mill lay a little way off the road on the left (coming from
Trumpington) ; so it was necessary to ' know the way.'
4026. nede has na peer, necessity has no equal, or, is above all.
More commonly, Nede ne hath no lawc, as in P. Plowman, B. xx. lo,
or C. xxiii. lo ; * Necessitas non habet legem'; a common proverb.
4027. does, contracted from behoves, a form peculiar to Chaucer.
In northern poems, the word is invariably a monosyllable, spelt bos, or
more commonly bus ; and the pt. t. is likewise a monosyllable, viz. bud
or bood, short for behoved. In Cursor Mundi, 1. 9870, we have : * Of
a woman bos him be born; and in 1. 10639: 'Than bus this may be
clene and bright.' In M. E., it is always used impersonally; him
hoes or him bos means ' it behoves him,' or ' he must.' See Bus in the
New E. Dictionary.
Chaucer here evidently alludes to some such proverb as ' He who
has no servant must serve himself,' but I do not know the precise
form of it. The expression ' as clerkes sayn ' hints that it is a Latin
one.
4029. hope, expect, fear. Cf. P. Plowman, C. x. 275, and see Hope
in Nares, who cites the story of the tanner of Tamworth (from Putten-
ham's Arte of Poesie, bk. iii. c. 22) who said — ' I hope I shall be hanged
to-morrow.' Cf. also Thomas of Erceldoun, ed. Murray, 1. 78 : —
'But-if I speke with yone lady bryghte,
I hope myne herte will bryste in three ! '
4030. 'So ache his molar teeth.' Wark, to ache, is common in
Yorkshire : * My back ivarks while I can hardly bide,' my backaches
so that I can hardly endure ; Mid. Yks. Gloss. (E. D. S.).
4032. ham, i.e. ham, haam, home.
4033. heiheti, hence, is very characteristic of a Northern dialect ;
it occurs in Hampole, Havelok, IMorris's AUit. Poems, Gawain, Robert
of Brunne, the Ormulum, &c. ; see examples in Matzner.
4037. One clerk wants to watch above, and the other below, to
prevent cheating. This incident is not in the French fabliaux. On
the other hand, it occurs in the Jest of the Mylner of Abyngton, which
is plainly copied from Chaucer.
4049. blcre hir ye, blear their eyes, cheat them, as in 1. 3865.
4055. 'The fable of the ^Volf and the Mare is found in the Latin
Esopean collections, and in the early French poem of Renard le
Contrefait, from whence it appears to have been taken into the English
Reynard the Fox'; Wright. Tyrwhitt observes that the same story is
told of a mule in Cento Novelle Anliche, no. 91. See Caxton's Reynard,
ch. 27, ed. Arber, p. 62, where the wolf wants to buy a mare's foal,
who said that the price of the foal was written on her hinder foot ; ' yf ye
conne rede and be a clerk, ye may come see and rede it.' And when
LI. 4020-78.] THE REVES TALE. 123
the wolf said, ' late me rede it,' the mare gave him so violent a kick
that ' a man shold wel haue ryden a myle er he aroos.' The Fox, who
had brought it all about, hypocritically condoles with the Wolf, and
observes — 'Now I here wel it is true that I long syth haue redde and
herde, that the teste clerkes ben 7iot the wysest men J
For the story in Le Roman du Renard Contrefait, see Poetes de
Champagne, Reims, 1851, p. 156. For further information, see
Caxton's Fables of /Esop, ed. Jacobs, lib. v. fab. 10; vol. i. 254, 255 ;
vol. ii. 157, 179. La Fontaine has a similar fable of the Fox, the Wolf,
and the Horse. In Croxall's ^Esop, it is told of the Horse, who tells
the Lion, who is acting as physician, that he has a thorn in his foot.
See further references in the Exempla of Jacques de Vitry, ed. Crane,
pp. 147, 197.
406 L levesel, an arbour or shelter formed of branches or foliage.
Lev-e is the stem of lee/^ A. S. leaf, a leaf; and -sel is the same as the
A. S. s(fI^ sele, a hall, dwelling, Swed. sal, Icel. salr^ G. Saal. The
A. S. seel occurs also in composition, as biirg-s(cl,folc-sa:l, horn-scel, and
sele is still commoner; Grein gives twenty-three compounds with the
latter, as gccst-sele, guest-hall, hrof-sele, roofed-hall, &c. In Icel. we
have lauf-hiis, leaf-house, but we find the very word we require in Swed.
Id/sal, 'a hut built of green boughs,' Widegren ; Dan. lovsals-fest,
feast of tabernacles. The word occurs again in the Persones Tale,
1. 411, where it means a leafy arbour such as may still be seen to form
the porch of a public-house. The word is scarce ; but see the
following :—
'Alle but Syr Gauan, graythest of alle.
Was left %\ith Dame Grajnour, vndur the greues [groves] grene.
By a laurj'el ho [she] lay, vndur a lefe-salc
Of box and of barbere, byggyt ful bene.'
Anturs of Arthur, st. 6 ; in Three Met. Romances, ed. Robson, p. 3.
The editor prints it as lefe sale, and explains it by ' leafy hall,' but
it is a compound word; the adjective would be lefy or lei(y. In this
case the arbour was 'built ' of box and barberrj'.
'Ail his devocioun and holynesse
At the taveme is, as for the most dele,
To Bacus syne, and to the leef-sele
His youthe hym haleth,' &c.
Hoccleve, De Regim. Principum, p. 22.
Again, in Allit. Poems, ed. Morris, iii. 448, the arbour formed by
Jonah's gourd is called a lefsel.
4066. Lydgate has 'through thinne and thikke'; Siege of Troy,
fol. Cc. 6, back.
4078. geejt, goon ; so in MS.E., which again has neen, none, 4185.
The usual Northern form is gan { = gaa/t), as in HI. ; Hn. Ln. have
gane. But we also find gayn, as in Wallace, iv. 102 ; Bruce, ii. 80.
124 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group A.
The forms geen, neen, are so remarkable that they are likely to be the
original ones.
4086. *I am -very swift of foot, God knows, (even) as is a roe; by
God's heart, he shall not escape us both ; why hadst thou not put the
horse in the bam ? ' * Light as a rae ' [roe] ; Tournament of Tottenham,
St. 15.
4088. capul, a horse, occurs again, in D. 2150. hiihe, a barn, is
still in use in some parts of Yorkshire, but chiefly in local designa-
tions, being otherwise obsolescent ; see the Cleveland and Whitby
Glossaries. ' The northern man writing to his neighbour may say,
" My lathe standeth neer the kirkegarth" for My barne standeth
neere the churchyard : ' Coote's Eng. Schoolemaster, 1632 (Nares).
Ray gives; ^ Lathe, a barn' in 1691 ; and we again find ^ Leath,
a barn' in 1781 (E. D. S. Gloss. B, i) ; and ^ Leath, Laith, a barn, in
181 1 (E. D. S. Gloss. B. 7) ; in all cases as a Northern word.
4096. 'Trim his beard,' i.e. cheat him; and so again in D. 361.
See Chaucer's Hous of Fame, 689, and my note upon it.
' Myght I thaym have spyde,
I had Jfiade thaym a herd.'
Towneley Mysteries, p. 144.
410L lossa, ' down here '; a cry of direction. Composed of O. Y.jos,
Jus, down ; and ^a, here. Bartsch gives an example of Jos in his
Chrestomathie, 1875, col. 8 : ' tuit li felun cadegren Jos,' all the felons
fell down ; and Cotgrave has : 'yus, downe, or to the ground.' Gode-
froy gives : (a Jus, here below, down here. It is clearly a direction
given by one clerk to the other, and was probably a common cry in
driving horses.
warderere, i.e. warde arere, 'look out behind!' Another similar
cry. MS. Cm. has: ivare the rere, mind the rear, which is a sort of
gloss upon it.
4110. hething, contempt. See numerous examples in Matzner, s. v.
hccthing, ii. 396. Cf. ' Bothe in hething and in scorn '; Sir Amadace,
1. 17, in Robson's Three Met. Romances, p. 27. 'Him thoght scorn
and gret hething^ ; Seven Sages, ed. \Veber, 1. 91.
4112. The first foot is ' trochaic'
4115. in his hond, in his possession, in his hold.
4126. ' Or enlarge it by argument'; prove by logic that it is the size
you wish it to be.
4127. Cutberd, St. Cuthbert, bishop of Lindisfarne, died in 686.
Being a Northumberland man, John swears by a Northumberland
saint.
4130. Evidently a proverb : 'a man must take (one) of two things,
either such as he finds or such as he brings'; i. e. must put up with
what he can get.
4134. Another proverb. Repeated in D. 415, with lure for tulle.
From the Policraticus of John of Salisbury, liv. v. c. 10 : ' Veteri cele-
LI. 4086-210.] THE REVES TALE. 125
bratur proverbio : Quia vacuae manus temeraria petitio est.' MS. Cm.
has the rimes folic, tollc. For tulle, a commoner spelHng is iille, to
draw, hence to allure, entice. Hence E. //// (for money), orig-. mean-
ing a ' drawer'; and the tiller of a rudder, by which it is drawn aside.
See tnllen in Stratmann, and tollen in Boeth. bk. ii. pr. 7. 1 1 (in vol. ii.
P- 45)-
4140. chalons, blankets. The same word as mod. E. shalloon^
' a slight woollen stuff'; Ogilvie's Diet. ' The blanket was sometimes
made of a texture originally imported from Chalons in France, but
afterwards extensively manufactured in England by the Chaloners ';
Our Eng. Home, p. 108. ' Owyltes ne c/talou?is'; Eng. Gilds, ed.
Toulmih Smith, p. 350.
4152. ^//rtZ'/v, asthma, or difficulty of breathing that causes a croak-
ing noise. Halliwell gives : ' Quack, to be noisy, West. The term is
applied to any croaking noise.' Also : ' Quackle, to choke, or suffocate,
East' Pose, a cold in the head ; A. S. gepos.
4155. ' To wet one's whistle'' is still in use for to drink deeply.
'7 wete my luliystell, as good drinkers do'; Palsgrave, p. 780.
In Walton's Complete Angler, Part i. ch. 5, we find : ' Let's drink the
other cup to wet our whistles^
4172. wilde fyr, erysipelas (to torment them) ; see Halliwell. Cf.
E. 2252. The entry — ^ Erysipela (sic), wilde fyr' occurs in yElfric's
Vocabulary'. So in Le Rom. de la Rose : — ' que Mai-Feu I'arde'; 7438,
8319.
4174. flour, choice, best of a thing ; // ending, evil death, bad end.
* They shall have the best (i. e. here, the worst) of a bad end.' Rather
a wish than a prophecy.
4181. Sidenote in MS. HI. — *Oui in vno grauatur in alio debet
releuari.' A Law Maxim.
4194. vpright, upon her back. 'To slepe on the backe, v^ryght,
is vtterly to be abhorred ' ; Babees Book, ed. Fumivall, p. 245. Pals-
grave, s. v. Throwe, has : ' I throwe a man on his backe or upright, so
that his face is upwarde, le re7iuerse^ And see Nares. Cf. ' Now
dounward groffe [on your belly], and now upright'; Rom. Rose,
2561. Bolt-upright occurs in 1. 4266; where bolt is 'like a bolt,'
hence ' straight,' or exactly. See Bolt, adv., in the New E. Dictionary.
And compare B. 1506.
4208. daf, fool ; from E. daf-t. cokenay, a milk-sop, poor creature.
The orig. sense of coken-ay is ' cocks' t.g%^ from a singular piece
of folk-lore which credited cocks with laying such eggs as happen
to be imperfect. ' The small yolkless eggs which hens sometimes lay
are called " cocks' eggs," generally in the firm persuasion that the
name states a fact ' ; Shropshire Folklore, by C. S. Burne, p. 229.
The idea is old, and may be found gravely stated as a fact in Bar-
tolomaeus De Proprietatibus Rerum (14th century). See Cockney
in the New E. Dictionary.
4210. Unhardy is unsely, the cowardly man has no luck. ' Audentes
126 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a.
fortuna iuuat'; Vergil, Aen. x. 284. So also our 'Nothing venture,
nothing have,' and ' Faint heart never won fair lady ' ; which see
in Hazlitt's Proverbs. For seel, luck, see 1. 4239. See Troil. iv. 602,
and the note.
4220. Pronounce bcft'cite in three syllables ; as usual.
42.3.3. TJte thridde cok ; apparently, between 5 and 6 A. M. ; see note
to line 3675 above. It was near dawn ; see 1. 4249.
4236. Malift, another form of Malkin, which is a pet-name for
Matilda. See my note to P. Plowman, C. ii. 181, where my statement
that Malkin occurs in the present passage refers to Tyrwhitt's edition,
which substitutes Malkin for the Malin or Malyn of the MSS.
and of ed. 1532. Cf. B. 30.
' Malyn, tersorium,' Cath. Anglicum ; i. e. Malin, like Malkin,
also meant a dishclout. Malitt has now become Molly.
4244. cake. In Wright's Glossaries, ed. Wiilker, col. 788, 1. 36, we
find, * Hie j)anis subveruciiis, a meleres cake ' ; on which Wright
remarks : ' Perhaps this name alludes to the common report that the
miller always stole the flour from his customers to make his cakes,
which were baked on the sly.'
4253. toty, in the seven MSS.; iotty in ed. 1532. It means 'dizzy,
reeling'; and Halliwell, s. v. Toity, quotes from MS. Rawl. C. 86:
* So toty was the brayn of his hede.' Cf. ' And some also so toty
in theyr heade'; Lydgate, Siege of Troy, ed. 1555, fol. L i, back.
Spenser has the word twice, as tottie or totty, and evidently copied it
from this very passage, which he read in a black-letter edition ; see
his Shep. Kal., February, 55, and F. O. vii. 7. 39. Cf. E. totter.
42.57. a twenty devel way, with extremely ill-luck. See note to
1-37I3-
4264. Compare B. 141 7.
4272. linage ; her grandfather was a priest ; see note to 1. 3943.
4278. foke, bag ; cf. the proverb, ' To buy a pig in a poke.'
'Than on the grounde together rounde
With many a sadde stroke
They roule and rumble, they turne and tumble,
As pygges do in a poke^
Sir T. More, A Merrie lest, &c. (1510).
This juvenile poem by Sir T. More is printed in Hazlitt's Popular
Poetr)', iii. 128, and in the Preface to Todd's Johnson.
4286. Broineholm. A piece of what was supposed to be the true
cross was brought from the East by an English priest to Norfolk in
1223, and immediately became famous as an object of pilgrimage. It
is called the 'Rode [rood] of Bromeholme' in P. Plowman, B. v.
231 ; see my note to that line.
4287. The full form is quoted in the note to Scott's Marmion,
can. ii. st. 13 : — ' In manus tuas, Domine, commendo spiritum meum ;
a vinculis enim mortis redemisti me, Domine veritatis, Amen.' In
LI. 4220-321.] THE REYES TALE. 127
Ratis Raving, &c., ed. Lumby, p. 8, 1. 263, the form ends with ' spiritum
meum, domine, deus veritatis.' In Reliquiae Antiquae, i. 235, the
following translation of the Latin form is given : —
' Loverd Godd, in hondes thine I bequethe soule mine ;
Thu me boctest with thi deadd, Loverd Godd of sothfastheedd.'
It here occurs in company with the Creed, the Paternoster, and the
Ave Maria ; so that it was one of the very common religious formulae
which were familiar, even in the Latin form, to people of no education.
They frequently knew the words of these forms, without knowing more
than the general sense. In manus tiias, (Sic, was even recited by
criminals before being hung ; see Skelton's Works, ed. Dyce, i. 5, 292,
ii. 268. The words are mostly taken from the Vulgate version of Luke,
xxiii. 46.
4290. 0071, one, some one ; not common at this date.
4295. Cf. Roman de la Rose, 12720:— 'Qui set bien de Tostel les
estres,' i. e. v.ho knows well the inner parts of the hostel. See note to
A. 197 1 above.
4302. volupeer, nightcap ; see note to A. 3241.
4307. harroiv, a cry for help ; see note to A. 3286.
4320. Him thar, lit. ' it needs him,' i.e. he need, he must. For thar,
ed. 1532 has dare, which Tyrwhitt rightly corrects to ihar, which occurs
again in D. 329, 336, 1365, and H. 353. It is common enough in early
authors ; the full form is tharf, as in Owl and Nightingale, 803 (or 180),
Moral Ode (Jesus IMS.), 44; spelt tharrf, Ormulum, 12886; theif,
Ancren Riwle, p. 192 ; darf, Florisand Blancheflur, 315 ; deff, O. Eng.
Homilies, ed. INIorris, i. 187, 1. 31 ; dar, Octovian, 1337 ; &c. The pt. t.
is thurfte, llmrte, thofte ; see iltarf and thurfcn in Stratmann, and
cf. A. S. thearf, pt. t. ihiirfte. For wene, the correct reading, Tyrwhitt
substitutes wimte, against all authority, because he could make no sense
of %Lie?ie. It is odd that he should have missed the sense so completely.
IVeneisto imagine, think, also to expect ; and the line means 'he must
not expect good who does evil.' The very word is preserved by Ray,
in his Proverbs, 3rd ed., 1737, p. 288:— 'He that evil does, never
good wez'nes.' Hazlitt quotes a proverb to a like effect: ' He that does
what he should not, shall feel what he would not.' Cf. * Whatsoever
a man soweth, that shall he also reap ' ; Gal. \\. 7.
432L A common proverb; cf. Ps. vii. 16, ix. 15.
' For often he that will beguile
Is guiled with the same guile,
And thus the guiler is beguiled.'
Gower, Conf. Amant (bk. vi), iii. 47.
' Beg}ded is the gyler thanne'; Rom. Rose, 5759.
See further in my note to P. Plowman, C. xxxi. 166, and Kemble's
Solomon and Saturn, p. 63. Le Rom. de la Rose, 7381, has:— 'Qui
les deceveors decoivent.'
128 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a.
I can add another example from Caxton's Fables of /Esop, lib. ii.
fab. 12 (The Fox and the Stork): — 'And therfore he that begyleth
other is oftyme begyled hymself.'
The Cook's Prologue.
4329. hcrhergage, lodging ; alluding to 1. 4123.
4.331. Not from Solomon, but from Ecclesiasticus, xi. 3 1 : ' Non omnem
hominem inducas in domum tuum ; multae enim sunt insidiae dolosi.'
In the E. version, it is verse 29.
4336. Hogge, Hodge, for Roger (1. 4353I. Ware, in Hertfordshire.
4346. laten blood, let blood, i. e. removed gravy from. It refers to
a meat-pie, baked with gravy in it ; as it was not sold the day it was
made, the gravy was removed to make it keep longer ; and so the pie
was eaten at last, when far from being new.
4347. The meaning of ' a Jack of Dover' has been much disputed,
but it probably meant a pie that had been cooked more than once.
Some have thought it meant a sole (probably a fried sole), as ' Dover
soles ' are still celebrated ; but this is only a guess, and seems to be
wrong. Sir T. More, Works, p. 675 E, speaks of a 'Jak of Paris,
an evil pye twyse baken'; which is probably the same thing.
Roquefort's French Did. has : —
'■ Jaquet, Jaket, impudent, menteur. C'est sans doute de ce mot que
les patissiers ont pris leur mot d'argot jaqiies, pour signifier qu'une
pi^ce de volaille, de viande ou de patisserie cuite au four, est vieille
ou dure.*
See Hazlitt's Proverbs, p. 20; and Hazlitt's Shakespeare Jest-books,
ii. 366. Hence, in a secondary sense, Jack of Dover meant an old
story, or hashed up anecdote. Ray says : — ' This he [T. Fuller]
makes parallel to Crainbe bis coda, and applicable to such as grate
the ears of their auditors with ungrateful tautologies of what is worth-
less in itself; tolerable as once uttered in the notion of novelty, but
abominable if repeated.' This may explain the fact that an old jest-
book was printed with the title A Jack of Dover in 1604, and again in
161 5. The E. wordi jack has indeed numerous senses.
4350. The insinuation is that stray flies were mixed up with the
parsley served up with the Cook's geese. Tyrwhitt quotes from MS.
Harl. 279 — * Take percely,' &c. in a receipt for stuffing a goose ; so
that parsley was sometimes used for this purpose. It was also used
for stuffing chickens ; see Liber Cure Cocorum, ed. !Morris, p. 22.
4357. 'A true jest is an evil jest.' Hazlitt, in his Collection of
Proverbs, gives, ' True jest is no jest,' and quotes ' Sooth bourd is no
bourd' from Heywood, and from Harington's Brief Apologie of Poetrie,
1 591. Kelly's Scotch Proverbs includes: 'A sooth bourd is nae bourd.'
Tyrwhitt alters the second play to spe!, as being a Flemish word, but
he only found it in two MSS. (Askew i and 2), and nothing is gained
LI. 4329-79-1 THE COKES TALE. 129
by it. - The fact is, that there is nothing Flemish about the proverb
except the word quad, though there may have been an equivalent
proverb in that language. We must take Chaucer's remark to mean
that ' Sooth play is what a Fleming would call quaad ^Xdt.y'' \ which is
then quite correct. For just as Flemish does not use the English
words J^w//i and //^y, so English seldom uses the Flemish form qtiaad,
equivalent to the Dutch kwaad, evil, bad, spelt qnade in Hexham's
Du. Diet. (1658). Cf. also O. Friesic kivad, quad, East Friesic kiodd
(still in common use). The Mid. Eng. form is not quad, but (properly)
qued or queed; see examples in Stratmann, s. v. cwcd. In P. Plowman,
B. xiv. 189, i/ie qued means the Evil One, the devil. Oueed occurs as
a sb. as late as in Skclton, ed. Dyce, i. 168. We find, however, the
rare I\I. E. form quad in Cower, ed. Pauli, ii. 246, and in the Story of
Genesis and Exodus, ed. Morris, 536; and in another passage of the
Cant. Tales, viz. B. 1628. The oldest English examples seem to be
those in the Blickling Glosses, viz. * of cweade arasrende, de stercore
e7igens'; and ' cwed uel meox, siercus' There is no difficulty about
the etymology; the corresponding O. H. G. word is qudf, whence
G. Kotk or Kot, excrement ; and the root appears in the Skt. gu or gu,
to void excrement ; see Koi in Kluge.
4858. This is interesting, as giving us the Host's name. Herry is
the mod. E. Harry, with the usual change from er to ar, as in M. E.
derk, dark, &c. It is the same as the F. Herri (not uncommon in
O. F.), made from F. Henri by assimilation of iir to rr.
The name seems to have been taken from that of a real person. In
the Subsidy Rolls, 4 Rich. II. (i 380-1), for South wark, occurs the
entry — 'Henri' Bayliff, Ostyler, Xpian [Christian] ux[or] eius . . ij j.'
In the parliament held at Westminster, in 50 Edw. III. (1376-7),
Henry Bailly was one of the representatives for that borough ; and
again, in the parliament at Gloucester, 2 Rich. II., the name occurs.
See Notes and Queries, 2 S. iii. 228.
The Cokes Tale.
4368. ' Brown as a berr>^' So in A. 207.
4377. 'There were sometimes Justs in Cheapside ; Hollingshead,
vol. ii. p. 348. But perhaps any procession may be meant.' — Tyrwhitt.
* Cheapside was the grand scene of city festivals and processions.' —
Wright.
4379. T. has And til, but his note says that And was inserted by
himself. Wright reads, 'And tyl he hadde'; but And is not in the
Harleian MS. Observe that Wright insists \exy much on the fact
that he reproduces this MS. ' with literal accuracy,' though he allows
himself, according to his own account, to make silent alterations due
to collation with the Lansdowne IMS. But the word And is not to be
found in any of the seven MSS., and this is ox\\y one example of the
numerous cases in which he has silently altered his text without any
K
130 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a.
MS. authority at all. His text, in fact, is full of treacherous pitfalls;
and Bell's edition is quite as bad, though that likewise pretends to be
accurate.
The easiest way of scanning the line is to ignore the elision of
the final e in had-de, which is preserved, as often, by the cicsural pause.
4383. sette steven, made an appointment ; see A. 1524.
4394. ' Though he (the master) may have,' &c.
4396. * Though he (the apprentice) may know how to play,' &c.
Opposed to 1. 4394. The sense is^' The master pays for the revelling
of the apprentice, though he takes no part in such revel ; and conversely,
the apprentice may gain skill in minstrelsy, but takes no part in paying
for it ; for, in his case, his rioting is convertible with theft.' The master
pays, but plays not ; the other pays not, but plays.
4397. ' Revelling and honesty, in the case of one of low degree (who
has no money), are continually wrath with (i. e. opposed to) each
other.'
4402. * And sometimes carried off to Newgate, with revel (such as he
might be supposed to approve of).' The point of the allusion lies in
the fact that, when disorderly persons were carried to prison, they
were preceded by minstrels, in order to call public attention to their
disgrace. This is clearly shewn in the Liber Albus, pp. 459, 460,
(p. 396 of the E. translation). E. g. ' Item, if any person shall be im-
peached of adultery, and be thereof lawfully attainted, let him be taken
iinto Neivgatc, and from thence, ivith nitJistrelsy, through Chepe, to
the Tun on Cornhulle [Cornhill], there to remain at the will of the
mayor and alderman.'
4404. paper. The allusion is not clear ; perhaps it means that he
was refening to his account-book, and found it unsatisfactor)'.
4406. In Hazlitt's Proverbs we find ; ' The rotten apple injures its
neighbour.' Cf. G. 964.
In the Ayenbite of Inwyt, p. 205, we are bidden to avoid bad
company, because a rotten apple rots the sound ones, if left among
them.
In Ida von Diiringsfeld's Sprichworter, 1872-5, no. 354, is : — 'Ein
fauler Apfel steckt den andern an. Pomum compunctum cite cor-
rumpit sibi iunctum.'
4413. his leve, his leave to go, his dismissal, his conge.
4414. or leve, or leave it, i. e. or desist from it.
4415. for, because, since. louke, an accomplice who entices the
dupe into the thief's company, a decoyer of victims. Not 'a receiver
to a thief,' as Tyrwhitt guessed, but his assistant in thieving, one who
helped him (as Chaucer says) to suck others by stealing or borrowing.
It answers to an A. S. *l7lca (not found), formed with the agential
suffix -a from If/can, lit. to pull, pluck, root up weeds, hence
(probably) to draw, entice. The corresponding E. Friesic liikan or
lukan means not only to pull, pluck, but also to milk or suck (see
Koolman). The Low G. Itiken means not only to pull up weeds, but
LI. 4383-422.] THE COKES TALE. 131
also to suck down, or to take a long pull in drinking ; hence O. F.
louchier, loukier, to swallow. From the A. S. lucan^ to pluck up, comes
the common prov. E. lottk, lou'k, look, to pluck up weeds; see Ray,
Whitby Glossary, &c.
4417. brybe, to purloin ; not to bribe in the modern sense ; see the
New E. Diet.
4422. Here the Tale suddenly breaks off; so it was probably never
finished.
*** See Notes to Gamelin at the end of the Notes to the Tales.
NOTES TO GROUP B.
Introduction to the Man of Lawes Tale.
V'' 1. If, as Mr. Fumivall supposes, the time of the telhng of the
Canterbury Tales be taken to be longer than one day, we may
suppose the Man of Lawes Tale to begin the stories told on the second
morning of the journey, April i8. Otherwise, we must suppose all the
stories in Group A to precede it, which is not impossible, if we suppose
the pilgrims to have started early in the morning.
Hosie. This is one of the words which are sometimes dissyllabic,
and sometimes monosyllabic ; it is here a dissyllable, as in 1. 39. See
note to line 1883 below.
sey, i.e. saw. The forms of 'saw' vary in the MSS. In this line
we find saugh, sau/i, segJi, satihe, satu/i, none of Mhich are Chaucer's
own, but due to the scribes. The true form is determined by the rime,
as in the Clerkes Tale, E. 667, where most of the MSS. have say. A
still better spelling is sey, which may be found in the House of Fame,
II51, where it rimes with /ay. The A. S. form is seah.
2. The ark, &c. In Chaucer's Treatise on the Astrolabe, pt. ii. ch. 7
(vol. iii. 194), is the proposition headed — ' to knowe the arch of the day,
that some folk callen the day artificial, from the sonne arysing til hit go
to reste.' Thus, while the ' day natural ' is twenty-four hours, the ' day
artificial ' is the time during which the sun is above the horizon. The
* arc ' of this day merely means the extent or duration of it, as reckoned
along the circular rim of an astrolabe ; or, when measured along the
horizon (as here), it means the arc extending from the point of sunrise
to that of sunset, ronne, run, performed, completed.
3. The fourthe part. The true explanation of this passage, which
Tyrvvhitt failed to discover, is due to Mr. A. E. Brae, who first published
it in May, 185 1, and reprinted it at p. 68 of his edition of Chaucer's
Treatise on the Astrolabe. His conclusions were based upon actual
calculation, and will be mentioned in due order. In re-editing the
' Astrolabe,' I took the opportunity of roughly checking his calculations
by other methods, and am satisfied that he is quite correct, and that the
day meant is not the 28th of April, as in the Ellesmere MS., nor the
13th of April, as in the Harleian MS., but the 18th, as in the Hengwrt
THE INTRODUCTION. 133
MS. and most others. It is easily seen that xviii may be corrupted
into xxviii by prefixing x, or into xiii by the omission of v ; this may
account for the variations.
The key to the whole matter is given by a passage in Chaucer's
' Astrolabe,' pt. ii. ch. 29, where it is clear that Chaucer (who, however,
merely translates from Messahala) actually confuses the hour-angle with
the azimuthal arc ; that is, he considered it correct to find the hour of
the day by noting the point of the horizon over which the sun appears
to stand, and supposing this point to advance, with a uniform, not
a variable, motion. The host's method of proceeding was this. Wanting
to know the hour, he observed how far the sun had moved southward
along the horizon since it rose, and saw that it had gone more than
half-way from the point of sunrise to the exact southern point. Now
the 1 8th of April in Chaucer's time answers to the 26th of April at
present. On April 26, 1874, the sun rose at 4h. 43m., and set at
7h. 12m., giving a day of about I4h. 30m., the fourth part of which is at
8h. 20 m., or, with sufficient exactness, at half past eight. This would
leave a whole hour and a half to signify Chaucer's ' half an houre and
more,' shewing that further explanation is still necessary. The fact is,
however, that the host reckoned, as has been said, in another way,
viz. by observing the sun's position with reference to the horizo?i. On
April 18 the sun was in the 6th degree of Taurus at that date, as we
again learn from Chaucer's treatise. Set this 6th degree of Taurus on the
East horizon on a globe, and it is found to be 22 degrees to the North
of the East point, or 1 12 degrees from the South. The half of this is at
56 degrees from the South ; and the sun would seem to stand above
this 56th degree, as may be seen even upon a globe, at about a quarter
past nine ; but Mr. Brae has made the calculation, and shews that it
was at twenty vmiutes past nine. This makes Chaucer's ' half an
houre and more ' to stand for half an hour atid ten minutes ; an extremely
neat result. But this we can check again by help of the host's other
observation. He also took note, that the lengths of a shadow and its
object were equal, whence the sun's altitude must have been 45 degrees.
Even a globe will shew that the sun's altitude, when in the 6th degree
of Taurus, and at 10 o'clock in the morning, is somewhere about 45 or
46 degrees. But Mr. Brae has calculated it exactly, and his result is,
that the sun attained its altitude of 45 degrees at two minutes to ten
exactly. This is even a closer approximation than we might expect,
and leaves no doubt about the right date being the eighteenth of April.
For fuller particulars, see Chaucer on the Astrolabe, ed. Brae, p. 69 ;
and ed. Skeat (E. E. T. S.), preface, p. 1.
5. eightetethe, eighteenth. Mr. Wright prints eightetene, with the
remark that 'this is the reading in which the MSS. seem mostly to
agree.' This is right in substance, but not critically exact. No such
word as eightctene appears here in the MSS., which denote the number
by an abbreviation, as stated in the footnote. The Hengwrt MS. has
xz'iijthe, and the Old English for eighteenth must have have been eighte-
134 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
tethe^ the ordinal, not the cardinal number. This form is easily inferred
from the numerous examples in which -teetith is represented by -tetlie ;
s&t feowertethe, /i/iethe, &c. in Stratmann's Old English Dictionary;
we find the very form eighiclethe in Rob. of Glouc, ed. Wright, 6490 ;
and eighteteotJie in St. Swithin, 1. 5, as printed in Poems and Lives of
Saints, ed. Fumivall, 1858, p. 43. Eiglite is of two syllables, from A. S.
eahta, cognate with Lat. octo. Eightcteihe has four syllables ; see A.
3223, and the note.
8. as in letigihe, with respect to its length.
13. The astrolabe which Chaucer gave to his little son Lewis was
adapted for the latitude of Oxford. If, as is likely, the poet-astronomer
checked his statements in this passage by a reference to it, he would
neglect the difference in latitude between Oxford and the Canterbury'
road. In fact, it is less than a quarter of a degree, and not worth con-
sidering in the present case.
14. gan conclude, did conclude, concluded. Gan is often used thus
as an auxiliary verb.
15. plighte, plucked; cf. shrighie, shrieked, in Kn. A. 2817. — M.
16. Lordinges, sirs. This form of address is exceedingly common in
Early English poetry. Cf. the first line in the Tale of Sir Thopas.
18. seint lohn. See the Squire's Tale, F. 596.
19. Leseth, lose ye ; note the form of the imperative plural in -cih ;
cf. 1. 27. As ferforth as ye may, as far as lies in your power.
20. wasteth, consumeth ; cf. wastotir, a wasteful person, in P. Plowm.
B. vi. 154. — M. HI. \\2i%passeth, i. e. passes away ; several MSS. insert
it before was/eih, but it is not required by the metre, since the e in time
is here fully sounded ; cf. A. S. tuna. Compare —
* The tyme, that passeth night and day,
And rest[e]lees travayleth ay,
And steleth from us so prively,
• •«••••
As water that doun tiinneth ay.
But never drope 7-etu7ne way,' &c.
Romaunt of the Rose, I. 369.
See also Clerkes Tale, E. 118.
21. what. We now say — what with. It means, 'partly owing to.'
22. ivakinge; strictly, it means watching; but here, in our wakings
= whilst we are awake.
23. Cf. Ovid, Art. Amat. iii. 62-65 :—
' Ludite ; eunt anni more fluentis aquae.
Nee quae praeteriit, cursu reuocabitur unda ;
Nee, quae praeteriit, hora redire potest.
Utendum est aetate ; cito pede labitur aetas.'
25, Seneca wrote a treatise De Breuitate Temporis, but this does not
contain any passage very much resembling the text. I have no doubt
that Chaucer was thinking of a passage which may easily have caught
LI. 8-39] THE INTRODUCTION. 135
his eye, as being very near the beginning of the first of Seneca's epistles.
' Quaedam tempora eripiuntur nobis, quaedam subducuntur, quaedam
effluunf. Turptssi)iia tivnen est iactura, quae per uegligentiam fit.
Quern mihi dabis, qui aliquod pretium tempori ponat .' qui diem aesti-
met ? ... In huius rei unius fugacis ac lubricae possessionem naturanos
misit, ex qua expeHit quicumque uult ; et tanta stultitia mortalium est, ut,
quae minima et uilissima sint, certe reparabilia, imputari sibi, quum im-
petrauere, patiantur ; nemo se iudicet quidquam debere, qui tempus
accepit, quum interim hoc uniuii est, quod ne gratus quidem potest
reddere'; Epist. I. ; Seneca Lucilio suo.
30. Malkin ; a proverbial name for a wanton woman ; see P. Plow-
man, C. ii. 181 (B. i. 182), and my note. ' There are more maids than
Malkin'; Heywood's Proverbs.
32. inouicn, lit. 'become mouldy' ; hence, be idle, stagnate, remain
sluggish, rot. See Mouldy in the Appendix to my Etym. Diet. 2nd ed.
1884 ; and cf. note to A. 3870.
33. Man of Lawe. This is the ' sergeant of the lawe ' described in
the Prologue, 11. 309-330. So have ye bits, so may you obtain bliss ;
as you hope to reach heaven.
34. as for-cLuird is, as is the agreement. See Prologue, A. 33, 829.
35. been submitted, hdivt agreed. This illustrates the common usage
of expressing a perfect by the verb to be and the past part, of an intran-
sitive verb. Cf. is went, in B. 1730. — M.
36. at my lugement, at my decree ; ready to do as I bid you. See
Prologue, A. 818 and 833.
37. Acquiteth yow, acquit yourself, viz. by redeeming your promise.
holdeth your biheste, keep your promise. Acquit means to absolve or
free oneself from a debt, obligation, charge, (S:c. ; or to free oneself from
the claims of duty, by fulfilling it.
38. devoir, duty; see Knightes Tale, A. 2598.
atte leste, at the least. Atte or atten is common in Old English
for at the or at then ; the latter is a later form of A. S. cet pam, where
then [=pam) is the dative case of the article. But for the explanation
of peculiar forms and words, the Glossarial Index should be consulted.
39. For ich, Tyrwhitt reads jeo=je, though found in none of our
seven MSS. This makes the whole phrase French— ^.^ par dieux jeo
assente. Mr. Jephson suggests that this is a clever hit of Chaucer's,
because he makes the Man of Lawe talk in French, with which, as
a lawyer, he was very familiar. However, we find elsewhere —
'Quod Troilus, '■'' depardieux I assente";'' —
and again —
^ ^' Depardieux," qyxod she, "god leve al be wel";'
Troilus and Cres. ii. 1058 and 1212;
and in the Freres Tale, D. 1395—
^ " Depardieux,'' quod this yeman, " dere brother."'
136 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
It is much more to the point to observe that the Man of Lawe talks
about hmi in 1. 43. Cotgrave, in his French Dictionary, under par,
gives — ^ De par Dieu soil, a [i. e. in] God's name be it. De par tnoy^
by my means. De par le roy, by the king's appointment.' De par is
a corruption of O.Fr. de part, on the part or side of; so that de par le
roy means literally, ' as for the king,' i. e. 'in the king's name.' Similarly,
de par Dieu is ' in God's name.' See Burguy, Oammaire de la Langue
D'oil, ii. 359. The form dietix is a nominative, from the Latin deiis ; thus
exhibiting an exception to the almost universal law in French, that the
modern F. substantives answer to the accKsative cz.st.% of Latin substan-
tives, as Jlei(r to Jlorein, Sec. Other exceptions may be found in some
proper names, as Charles, Jacqjics, from Carolus, Jacobus, and mjils,
irou\/ilii(s.
4L In the Morality entitled Everyman, in Hazlitt's Old Eng. Plays,
i. 137, is the proverb — 'Yet promise is debt.' Mr. Hazlitt wrongly
considers that as the earliest instance of the phrase. — M. Cf. Hoccleve,
De Regim. Principum, p. 64 : — ' And of a trewe man beheest is dette^
holde fayn, &c. ; gladly perform all my promise.
43. 7/ian . . . anol/;er = one . . . another. The Cambridge MS. is
right. — M. ' For whatever law a man imposes on others, he should
in justice consider as binding on himself.' This is obviously a guo-
tation, as appears from 1. 45. The expression referred to was probably
proverbial. An English proverb says — ' They that make the laws must
not break them ' ; a Spanish one — * El que ley establece, guardarla
debe,' he who makes a law ought to keep it ; and a Latin one—
' Patere legem quam ipse tulisti,' abide by the law which you made
yourself. The idea is expanded in the following passage from Claudian's
Panegyric on the 4th consulship of Honorius, carm. viii., 1. 296. —
' In commune iubes si quid censesue tenendum.
Primus iussa subi ; tunc obseruantior aequi
Fit populus, nee ferre negat cum uiderit ipsum
Auctorem parere sibi.'
45. text, quotation from an author, precept, saying. Thus wol our
text, i. e. such is what the expression implies.
47. But. This reading is given by Tyrwhitt, from MS. Dd. 4. 24 in the
Cambridge University Library and two other MSS. All our seven
MSS. read That; but this would require the word Nath (hath not)
instead of Hath, in 1. 49. Chaucer talks about his writings in a similar
strain in A. 746, 1460 ; and at a still earlier period, in his House of
Fame, 620, w^here Jupiter's eagle says to him : —
' And nevertheles hast set thy wit.
Although that in thy hede ful lyte is.
To make bokes, songes, dytees,
In ryme, or elles in cadence,
As thou best canst, in reverence
Of Love, and of his servants eke'; &c.
L1.4I-6I.] THE INTRODUCTION. 137
cati but lewedly ofi metres, is but slightly skilled in metre.
Can — knows here; in the line above it is the ordinary auxiliary
verb.
54. Ovid is mentioned for two reasons ; because he has so many
love-stories, and because Chaucer himself borrowed several of his own
from Ovid.
made of mencioun ; we should now say — ' made mention of.'
55. Episielles, Epistles. (T. prints Episto/is, the Lat. form, without
authority. The word has here four syllables.) The book referred to
is Ovid's Heroides, which contains twenty-one love-letters. See note
to 1. 61.
56. What, why, on what account? cf. Prologue, A. 184.
57. ' The story of Ceyx and Alcyone is related in the introduction
to the poem which was for some time called " The Uremeof Chaucer,"
but which, in the MSS. Fairfax 16 and Bodl. 638, is more properly
entitled, "The Boke of the Duchesse.'" — Tyrwhitt. Chaucer took it
from Ovid's Metamorphoses, bk. xi. ' Ceyx and Alcyone ' was once,
probably, an independent poem ; see vol. i. p. 63.
59. Thise is a monosyllable ; the final e probably denotes that s was
'voiced,' and perhaps the / was long, pronounced (dhiiz).
59, 60. For eek, seek, read eke, seke. Here sek-e is in the infinitive
mood. The form ek-e is not etymological, as the A.S. eac was a mono-
syllable ; but, as -e frequently denoted an adverbial suffix, it was
easily added. Hence, in M.E., both eek and ek-e occur ; and Chaucer
uses either form at pleasure, ek-e being more usual. For examples of
eekf see E. 1349, G. 794.
61. the seifites legende of Cupyde ; better known now as The Legend
of Good Women. Tyrwhitt says — ' According to Lydgate (Prologue
to Boccace), the number [of good women] was to have been nineteen ;
and perhaps the Legend itself affords some ground for this notion ;
see 1. 283, and Court of Love, 1. 108. But this number was never com-
pleted, and the last story, of Hypermnestra, is seemingly unfinished. . . .
In this passage the Man of Lawe omits two ladies, viz. Cleopatr^ and
Philomela, whose histories are in the Legend ; and he enumerates
eight others, of whom there are no histories in the Legend as we have it
at present. Are we to suppose, that they have been lost V The Legend
contains the nine stories following : i. Cleopatra ; 2. Thisbe ; 3. Dido;
4. Hypsipyle and INIedea ; 5. Lucretia ; 6. Ariadne ; 7. Philomela;
8. Phyllis ; 9. Hypermnestra. Of these, Chaucer here mentions, as
Tyrwhitt points out, all but two, Cleopatra and Philomela. Before
discussing the matter further, let me note that in medieval times,
proper names took strange shapes, and the reader must not suppose
that the writing of Adriane for Ariadne, for example, is peculiar to
Chaucer. The meaning of the other names is as follows : — Liia-esse,
Lucretia; BabilanTisbee,'Y\i\%\)^oiV>zhy\on; Enee,JEneas; Dianire,
Deianira ; Hermion, Hermione ; Adriane, Ariadne ; Isiphilee, Hypsi-
pyle ; Leandcr, Erro, Leander and Hero ; Eleyne, Helena ; Brixseyde,
138 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
Briseis (ace. Briseida) ; Ladomea, Laodamia ; Ypermistra, Hyper-
mnestra ; Alcesie, Alcestis.
Returning to the question of Chaucer's plan for his Legend of Good
Women, we may easily conclude what his intention was, though it was
never carried out. He intended to write stories concerning nineteen
women who were celebrated for being martyrs of love, and to conclude
the series by an additional story concerning queen Alcestis, whom he
regarded as the best of all the good women. Now, though he does
not expressly say who these women were, he has left us two lists, both
incomplete, in which he mentions some of them ; and by combining
these, and taking into consideration the stories which he actually
wrote, we can make out the whole intended series very nearly. One
of the lists is the one given here ; the other is in a Ballad which is
introduced into the Prologue to the Legend. The key to the incom-
pleteness of the present list, certainly the later written of the two, is
that the poet chiefly mentions here such names as are also to be found
in Ovid's Heroides ; cf. 1. 55. Putting all the information together, it
is sufficiently clear that Chaucer's intended scheme must have been
very nearly as follows, the number of women (if we include Alcestis)
being twenty.
I. Cleopatra. 2. Thisbe. 3. Dido. 4. and 5. Hypsipyle and Medea.
6. Lucretia. 7. Ariadne. 8. Philomela. 9. Phyllis. 10. Hypermnestra
(unfinished). After which, \\.Vt.r\t\<:)^t. 12. Briseis. 13. Hermione.
14. Deianira. 15. Laodamia. 16. Helen. 17. Hero. 18. Polyxena
(see the Ballad). 19. either Lavinia (see the Ballad), or Oenone
(mentioned in Ovid, and in the House of Fame). 20. Alcestis.
Since the list of stories in Ovid's Heroides is the best guide to the
whole passage, it is here subjoined.
In this list, the numbers refer to the letters as numbered in Ovid ;
the italics shew the stories which Chaucer actually wrote ; the asterisk
points out such of the remaining stories as he happens to mention in
the present enumeration ; and the dagger points out the ladies
mentioned in his Prologue to the Legend of Good Women.
1. Penelope Ulixi.* t
2. Phyllis Demophoonti.^ t
3. Briseis Achilli.*
4. Phaedra Hippolyto.
5. Oenone Paridi.
6. Hypsipyle Jasoni f }■ 12. Medea lasoni*
7. Dido Aeneae.* t
8. Hermione Orestae.*
9. Deianira Herculi.*
10. Ariadne Theseo* t
11. Canace Macareo * t {expressly rejected).
13. Laodamia Protesilao.* t
14. Hypermnestra Lynceo* t
15. Sappho Phaoni.
LI. 63-5.1 THE INTRODUCTION. 139
16. Paris Helenae; 17. Helena Paridi.* t
18. Leander Heroni ; 19. Hero Leandro.* t
20. Acontius Cydippae ; 21. Cydippe Acontio.
Chaucer's method, I fear, was to plan more than he cared to finish.
He did so with his Canterbury' Tales, and again with his Treatise on
the Astrolabe ; and he left the Squire's Tale half-told. According to
his own account (Prologue to Legend of Good Women, 1. 481) he
never intended to write his Legend all at once, but only ' yeer by yere.'
Such proposals are dangerous, and commonly end in incompleteness.
To Tyrwhitt's question — 'are we to suppose that they [i.e. the legends
of Penelope and others] have been lost ? ' the obvious answer is, that
they were never written.
Chaucer alludes to Ovid's Epistles again in his House of Fame,
bk. i., where he mentions the stories of Phyllis, Briseis, Oenone (not
mentioned here), Hypsipyle, Medea, Deianira, Ariadne, and Dido;
the last being told at some length. Again, in the Book of the
Duchesse, he alludes to Medea, Phyllis, and Dido (11. 726-734) ; to
Penelope and Lucretia (1. 1081); and to Helen (1. 331). As for the
stories in the Legend which are not in Ovid's Heroides, we find that
of Thisbe in Ovid's Metamorphoses, bk. iv ; that of Philomela in the
same, bk. vi ; whilst those of Cleopatra and Lucretia are in Boccaccio's
book De Claris Mulieribus, from which he imitated the title 'Legend
of Good Woinen^ and derived also the story of Zenobia, as told in the
Monkes Tale. However, Chaucer also consulted other sources, such as
Ovid's Fasti (ii. 721) and Livy for Lucretia, &c. See my Introduction
to the Legend in vol. iii. pp. xxv., xxxvii.
With regard to the title ' seintes legend of Cupide,' which in modern
English would be ' Cupid's Saints' Legend,' or ' the Legend of Cupid's
Saints,' Mr. Jephson remarks — ' This name is one example of the way
in which Chaucer entered into the spirit of the heathen pantheism, as
a real form of religion. He considers these persons, who suffered for
love, to have been saints and martyrs for Cupid, just as Peter and Paul
and Cyprian were martyrs for Christ.'
63. Gower also tells the stor>' of Tarquin and Lucrece, which he
took, says Professor Morley (English Writers, iv. 230), from the
Gesta Romanorum, which again had it from Augustine's De Ciritate
Dei.
Babilan, Babylonian; elsewhere Chaucer has Bah'loi'/ie =^Bahylon,
riming with Macedome\ Book of the Duchesse, 1. 1061.
64. S7uerd, sword; put here for death by the sword. See Virgil's
Aeneid, iv. 646 ; and Chaucer's Legend of Good Women, 1 351.
65. tree, put here, most likely, for death by hanging ; cf. last line.
In Chaucer's Legend, 2485, we find —
' She was her owne deeth right "with a corded
The word may also be taken literally, since Phyllis was metamorphosed
after her death into a tree ; Gower says she became a nut-tree, and
I40 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
derives filbert from Phyllis ; Conf. Amant. bk. iv. Lydgate writes
filbert instead of Phyllis ; Complaint of Black Knight, 1. 68.
66. The pleinte of Dianire, the complaint of Deianira, referring to
Ovid's letter ' Deianira Herculi '; so also that of Hermion refers to the
letter entitled ' Hermione Orestae'; that o{ Adriane^ to the 'Ariadne
Theseo'; and i\\?LioiIsip/iilee, to the ' Hypsipyle lasoni.'
68. bareyne yle, barren island ; of which I can find no correct ex-
planation by a previous editor. It refers to Ariadne, mentioned in the
previous line. The expression is taken from Ariadne's letter to Theseus,
in Ovid's Heroides, Ep. x. 59, where we find 'uacat insula cultu'; and
just below—
' Omne latus terrae cingit mare ; nauita nusquam,
Nulla per ambiguas puppis itura uias.'
Or, without referring to Ovid at all, the allusion might easily have been
explained by observing Chaucer's Legend of Ariadne, 1. 2163, where
the island is described as solitary and desolate. It is said to have
been the isle of Naxos.
69. Scan — The dreynt | e L^ | ander ( . Here the pp. dreynt is used
adjectivally, and takes the final e in the definite form. So in the Book
of the Duchesse, 195, it is best to read the dreynte ; and in the House
of Fame, 1783, we must read the siveynte.
75. Alceste. The story of Alcestis — ' that turned was into a dayesie '
— is sketched by Chaucer in his Prologue to the Legend, 1. 511, &c.
No doubt he intended to include her amongst the Good Women, as the
very queen of them all.
78. Canacee ; not the Canace of the Squieres Tale, whom Chaucer
describes as so kind and good as well as beautiful, but Ovid's Canace.
The story is told by Cower, Confess. Amantis, book iii. It is difficult
to resist the conclusion that Chaucer is here making a direct attack
upon Cower, his former friend ; probably because Cower had, in some
places, imitated the earlier edition of Chaucer's Man of Lawes Tale.
This difficult question is fully discussed in vol. iii. pp. 413-7.
81. ' Or else the story of Apollonius of Tyre.' The form Tyro
represents the Lat. ablative in ' Apollonius de Tyro.' This story, like
that of Canacee (note to 1. 78), is told by Gower, Conf. Amant. bk. viii.,
ed. Pauli, iii. 284 ; and here again Chaucer seems to reflect upon
Gower. The story occurs in the Gesta Romanorum, in which it appears
as Tale cliii., being the longest story in the whole collection. It is
remarkable as being the only really romantic story extant in an Anglo-
Saxon version ; see Thorpe's edition of it, London, 1834. It is therefore
much older than 1 190, the earliest date assigned by Warton. Compare
the play of Pericles, Prince of Tyre.
89. if that I 7nay, as far as lies in my power (to do as I please) ;
a common expletive phrase, of no great force.
90. of as to, with regard to. doofi, accomplish it.
92. Piertdes ; Tyrwhitt rightly says—' He rather means, I think, the
LI. 66-99.] PROLOGUE TO MAN OF LAWES TALE. 141
daughters of Pierus, that contended with the Muses, and were changed
into pies ; Ovid, Metam. bk. v.' Yet the expression is not wrong ; it
signifies — ' I do not wish to be likened to those ivould-bc Muses, the
Pierides '; in other words, I do not set myself up as worthy to be
considered a poet.
93. Metamorphoseos. It was common to cite books thus, by a title in
the genitive case, since the word Liber was understood. There is,
however, a slight error in this substitution of the singular for the plural ;
the true title being P. Ovidii Nasonis Metamorphoseon Libri Ouindecim.
See the use oi Encydos in the Nonne Prestes Tale, B. 4549 ; and of
Judicunt in Monk. Ta. B. 3236.
94. * But, nevertheless, I care not a bean.' Cf. 1. 4004 below.
95. with hawe bake, with plain fare, as Dr. Morris explains it; it
obviously means something of a humble character, unsuited for a refined
taste. This was left unexplained by Tynvhitt, but we may fairly trans-
late it literally by ' with a baked haw,' i. e. something that could just be
eaten by a very hungry person. The expression I sette nat an hawe ( = I
care not a haw) occurs in the Wyf of Bathes Prologue, D. 659. Haws
are mentioned as given to feed hogs in the Vision of Piers Plowman,
B. X. 10 ; but in The Romance of William of Palerne, I. i8ii,a lady
actually tells her lover that they can live in the woods on haws, hips,
acorns, and hazel-nuts. There is a somewhat similar passage in the
Legend of Good Women, Prol. 11. 7^-77 . I see no difficulty in this
explanation. That proposed by Mr. Jephson— 'hark back' — is out
of the question ; we cannot rime bak with make, nor does it make
sense.
Baken was a strong verb in M. E,, with the pp. baken or bake
(A. S. bacen). Dr. Stratmann, apparently by mistake, enters this phrase
under hawe, adj. dark grey ! But he refrains from explaining bake.
^^. I speke in prose, I generally have to speak in prose in the law
courts ; so that if my tale is prosy as compared with Chaucer's, it is
only what you would expect. Dr. Furnivall suggests that perhaps the
prose tale of Melibeus was originally meant to be assigned to the Man
of Lawe. See further in vol. iii. p. 406.
98. after, afterwards, immediately hereafter. Cf. other for otherwise
in Old English.— M.
Prologue to the Man of Lawes Tale.
99-12L It is important to observe that more than three stanzas of this
Prologue are little else than a translation from the treatise by Pope
Innocent III. entitled De Contemptu Mundi, sive de Miseria Condi-
tionis Humanae. This was first pointed out by Prof. Lounsbur)', of Yale,
Newhaven, U. S. A., in the Nation, July 4, 1889. He shewed that the
lost work by Chaucer (viz. his translation of ' the Wreched Engendring
of Mankinde As man may in Pope Innocent y-finde,' mentioned in the
Legend of Good Women, Prologue A, 1. 414) is not lost altogether,
142 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
since we find traces of it in the first four stanzas of the present
Prologue ; in the stanzas of the IVIan of Lawes Tale which begin,
respectively, with lines 421, 771, 925, and 1135 ; and in some passages
in the Pardoner's Prologue ; as will be pointed out.
It will be observed that if Chaucer, as is probable, has preserved
extracts from this juvenile work of his without much alteration, it must
have been originally composed in seven-line stanzas, like his Second
Nonnes Tale and Man of Lawes Tale.
I here transcribe the original of the present passage from Innocent's
above-named treatise, lib. i. c. 16, marking the places where the
stanzas begin.
De miseria divitis et pauperis. (99) Pauperes enim premuntur
inedia, cruciantur aerumna, fame, siti, frigore, nuditate ; vilescunt,
tabescunt, spemuntur, et confunduntur. O miserabilis mcndicantis
conditio ; et si petit, pudore confunditur, et si non petit, egestate
consumitur, sed ut mendicet, necessitate compellitur. (106) Deum
causatur iniquum, quod non recte dividat ; proximum criminatur malig-
num, quod non plene subveniat. Indignatur, murraurat, imprecatur.
(113) Adverte super hoc sententiam Sapientis, 'Melius est,' inquit,
* mori quam indigere ' : ' Etiam proximo suo pauper odiosus erit.'
'Omnes dies pauperis mali'; (120) 'fratres hominis pauperis oderunt
eum ; insuper et amici procul recesserunt ab eo.'
For further references to the quotations occurring in the above
passage, see the notes below, to 11. 114, 118, 120.
99. poverte=poverte, with the accent on the second syllable, as it
rimes with herie ; in the Wyf of Bathes Tale, it rimes with sherte.
Poverty is here personified, and addressed by the Man of Lavve. The
whole passage is illustrated by a similar long passage near the end
of the Wyf of Bathes Tale, in which the opposite side of the question
is considered, and the poet shews what can be said in Poverty's
praise. See D. 1 177-1206.
101. Thee is a dative, like me in 1, 91.— M. See Gen. ii. 15 (A. S.
version), where him pees iie sceamode = \.hey were not ashamed of it ; lit.
it shamed them not of it.
102. artoiv, art thou ; the words being run together ; so also seistotv
=sayest thou, in 1. 1 10.
104. Maugree thyn heed, in spite of all you can do ; lit. despite thy
head; see Knightes Tale, A. 1169, 2618, D. 8S7.
105. Or . . . ^r= either ... or ; an early example of this construc-
tion. — M.
108. neighebour is a trisyllable ; observe that e in the middle of a word
is frequently sounded ; cf. 1. 115. ivy test, blamest.
110. * By my faith, sayest thou, he will have to account for it here-
after, when his tail shall burn in the fire (lit. glowing coal), because he
helps not the needy in their necessity.'
114. 'It is better (for thee) to die than be in need.' Tyrwhitt
says—' This saying of Solomon is quoted in the Romaunt of the Rose,
LI. 99-124.1 PROLOGUE TO MAN OF LAWES TALE. 143
1, 8573— Mieux vault mourir que pauvres estre'; [1. 8216, ed. M^on.]
The quotation is not from Solomon, but from Jesus, son of Sirach; see
Ecclus. xl. 28, where the Vulgate has — * Melius est enim mori quam
indigere.' Cf. B. 2761.
115. Thy selve neighebor, thy very neighbour, even thy next neighbour.
See note to 1. 108.
118. In Prov. xv. 15, the Vulgate version has—' Omnes dies pauperis
mali '; where the A. V. has * the afflicted.'
119. The reading to makes the line harsh, as the final e in come
should be sounded, and therefore needs elision, in that prikke, into
that point, into that condition ; cf. 1. 102S.
120. Cf. Prov. xiv. 20 — * the poor is hated even of his neighbour ' ;
or, in the Vulgate, ' Etiam proximo suo pauper odiosus erit.' Also
Prov. xix. 7 — * all the brethren of the poor do hate him ; how much
n^ore do his friends go far from him'; or, in the Vulgate, ' Fratres
hominis pauperis oderunt eum ; insuper et amici procul recesserunt ab
eo.' So too Ovid, Trist. i. 9, 5 : —
.' Donee eris fclix, multos numerabis amicos,
Tempora si fuerint nubila, solus eris.'
Chaucer has the same thought again in his Tale of Melibeus (p. 227,
B. 2749) — ' and if thy fortune change, that thou wexe povre, farewel
freendshipe and felaweshipe ! ' See also note to B. 3436.
123. OS in this cas, as relates to this condition or lot in life. In
Chaucer, cas often means chance, hap.
124. ambes as, double aces, two aces, in throwing dice. Atnbes is
Old French for both, from Lat. ajnbo. The line in the Monkes Tale—
' Thy sys fortune hath turned into as' (B. 3851)— helps us out here in
some measure, as it proves that a six was reckoned as a good throw,
but an ace as a bad one. So in Shakespeare, Mids. Nt. Dream, v. i.
314, we find less than a7i ace explained as equivalent to notJiing. In the
next line, sis cink means a six and a Jive, which was often a winning
throw. The allusion is probably, however, not to the mere attempt as
to which of two players could throw the highest, but to the particular
game called hazard, in which the word chance (here used) has a special
sense. There is a good description of it in the Supplemental volume
to the English Cyclopaedia, div. Arts and Sciences. The whole de-
scription has to be read, but it may suffice to say here that, when the
caster is going to throw, he calls a main, or names one of the numbers
five, six, seven, eight, or nine ; most often, he calls seven. If he then
throws either seven or eleven (Chaucer's sis cink), he wins ; if he throws
aces (Chaucer's ambes as) or deuce-ace (two and one), or double sixes,
he loses. If he throws some other number, that number is called the
caster's chance, and he goes on playing till either the main or the
chance turns up. In the first case he loses, in the second, he wins.
If he calls some other number, the winning and losing throws are some-
what varied ; but in all cases, the double ace is a losing throw.
144 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group B.
Similarly, in The Pardoneres Tale, where hazard is mentioned by
name (C. 591), we find, at 1. 653 — ' Seven is my chaunce, and thyn is
cinq and treye,' i.e. eight.
In Lydgate's Order of Fools, printed in Queen Elizabeth's Academy,
ed. Furnivall, p. 81, one fool is described —
' Whos chaunce gothe nether yn synke or sysc ;
With atnbcs ase encressithe hys dispence.'
And in a ballad printed in Chaucer's Works, ed. 1561, folio 340, back,
we have —
'So wel fortuned is their chaunce
The dice to turne[n] vppe-so-doune.
With sise and siticke they can auaunce.'
The phrase was already used proverbially before Chaucer's time. In
the metrical Life of St. Brandan, ed. T. Wright, p. 23, we find, 'hi caste
an ambes as,' they cast double aces, i. e. they wholly failed. See Ambs-
ace in the New E. Diet. Dr. Morris notes that the phrase 'aums ace'
occurs in Hazlitt's O. E. Plays, ii. 35, with the editorial remark — 'not
mentioned elsewhere ' (I).
126. A/ Cristemasse, even at Christmas, when the severest weather
comes. In olden times, severe cold must have tried the poor even
more than it does now.
' Muche myrthe is in may • amonge wilde bestes.
And so forth whil somer lastej) • heore solace dure)) ;
And muche myrthe amonge riche men is * ])at han meoble {property^
ynow and heele Ihealth^
Ac beggers aboute myd-somere • bredlees \^\ soupe,
And 5ut is wynter for hem wors ' for wet-shood ))ei gangen,
A-furst and a-fyngred {A thirst and ahimgered^ 'and foule rebuked
Of ))ese worlde-riche men ' \2X reuthe hit is to huyre \Jiear of z't].'
Piers Plowman, C. xvii. 10; B. xiv- 158.
127. seken, search through ; much like the word covipass in the
phrase 'ye compass sea and land ' in Matth. xxiii. 15.
128. ihestaat, for the estaaf, i. e. the estate. This coalescence
of the article and substantive is common in Chaucer, when the
substantive begins with a vowel ; cf. thoccident, B. 3864 ; thorient,
B. 3871.
129. fadres, fathers, originators ; by bringing tidings from afar.
130. debat, strife. Merchants, being great travellers, were expected
to pick up good stories.
131. were, should be. deso/at, destitute. 'The E.E. word is ivestP',
' westi of alle gode theawes,' destitute of all good virtues ; O. Eng.
Homilies, i. 285.'— M.
132. Nere, for ne were, were it not. goon is, &>c., many a year ago,
long since.
LI. 126-71] THE TALE OF THE MAN OF LAWE. 145
The Tale of the Man of Lawe.
A story, agreeing closely with The Man of Lawes Tale, is found in
Book n. of Gower's Confessio Amantis, from which Tyrwhitt supposed
that Chaucer borrowed it. But Gower's version seems to be later than
Chaucer's, whilst Chaucer and Gower were both alike indebted to the
version of the story in French prose (by Nicholas Trivet) in MS.
Arundel 56, printed for the Chaucer Society in 1S72. In some places
Chaucer agrees with this French version rather closely, but he makes
variations and additions at pleasure. Cf. vol. iii. p. 409.
The first ninety-eight lines of the preceding Prologue are written in
couplets, in order to link the Tale to the others of the series ; but there
is nothing to show which of the other tales it was intended to follow.
Next follows a more special Prologue of thirty-five lines, in five stanzas
of seven lines each ; so that the first line in the Tale is 1. 134 of Group
B, the second of the fragments into which the Canterbury Tales
are broken up, owing to the incomplete state in which Chaucer left
them.
134. Stirrie, Syria ; called Sarazine (Saracen-land) by N. Trivet.
136. spycerye, grocery, &c., lit. spicery. The old name for a grocer
was a spicer\ and spicery was a wide term. * It should be noted that
the Ital. spezerie included a vast deal more than ginger and other
"things hot i' the mouth." In one of Pegoletti's lists of spezerie we
find drugs, dye-stuffs, metals, wax, cotton,' (S:c. — Note by Col. Yule in
his ed. of Marco Polo ; on bk. i. c. i.
143. Were it, whether it were.
144. message, messenger, noi message ; see 1. 333, and the note.
145. The final e in Rome is pronounced, as in 1. 142 ; but the words
the emic are to be run together, forming but one syllable, ihende, ac-
cording to Chaucer's usual practice ; cf. note to 1. 255. Indeed in 11. 423,
965, it is actually so spelt ; just as, in 1. 150, we have ihexcellent, and in
1. 151, thetnperoures.
151. themperotires, the emperor's. Gower calls him Tiberius Con-
stantine, who was Emperor (not of Rome, butj of the East, A. D. 578,
and was succeeded, as in the story, by Maurice, A.D. 582. His capital
was Constantinople, whither merchants from Syria could easily repair ;
but the greater fame of Rome caused the substitution of the Western for
the Eastern capital.
156. God him see, God protect him. See note to C. 715.
161. al Europe. In the margin of MSS. E. Hn. Cp. Pt. Ln. is written
the note ' Europa est tercia pars mundi.'
166. mi?-our, mirror. Such French words are frequently accented
on the lasi syllable. Cf. mitiistr' in I. 168.
171. han doon fraught, have caused to be freighted. All the MSS.
\ia.\'Q fraught, noi fraughfe. In the Glossary to Specimens of English,
I marked fraught as being the infinitive mood, as Dr. Stratmann
* * * ^
146 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
supposes, though he notes the lack of the final e. I have now no doubt
\\idXfrai4ght is nothing but the past participle, as in William of Palerne,
1 27'^2 —
' And feithlicheyra^/^/!/ ful of fine wines,'
which is said of a ship. The use of this past participle after 2i perfect
tense is a most remarkable idiom, but there is no doubt about its
occurrence in the Clerkes Tale, Group E. 1098, where we find 'Hath
doon yow kept^ where Tyrwhitt has altered kepi to kepe. On the other
hand, Tyrwhitt actually notes the occurrence of ' Hath don ivroghV
in Kn. Tale, 1055, (A. 1913), which he calls an irregularity. A better
name for it is idiom. I find similar instances of it in another author
of the same period,
'Thai strak his hed of, and syne it
Thai haf gert saltit in-til a kyt.'
Barbour's Bruce, ed. Skeat, xviii. 167.
I.e. they have caused it (to be) salted. And again in the same, bk. viii.
1. 13, we have the expression He gert held, as if 'he caused to be
held'; but it may mean 'he caused to incline.' Compare also the
following : —
'And thai sail let thame trumpit ill'; id. xix. 712.
I.e. and they shall consider themselves as evilly deceived.
In the Royal Wills, ed. Nichols, p. 278, we find:— 'wher I have
beforn ordeyned and do mad [caused to be made] my tombe.'
The infinitive appears to have been fraughten, though the earliest
certain examples of this form seem to be those in Shakespeare, Cymb.
i. I. 126, Temp. i. 2. 13. The proper form of the pp. \\2iS fraugJi ted
(as in Marlowe, 2 Tamb. i. 2. 33), but the loss of final -ed in past
participles of verbs of which the stem ends in / is common ; cf. set,
put, &c. Hence this form fraught as a pp. in the present instance.
It is a Scandinavian word, from Swtd. frakfa, 'Da.n.fragte. At a later
period we find freight, the mod. E. form. The vowel-change is due
to the fact that there was an intermediate iorm fret, borrowed from the
French iormfret of the Scandinavian word. This form fret disturbed
the vowel-sound, without wholly destroying the recollection of the
original guttural gh, due to the Swed. k. For an example oi fret,
we have only to consult the old black-letter editions of Chaucer
printed in 1532 and 1561, which give us the present line in the form —
'These marchantes han don fret her ships new.'
185. ceriously, 'seriously,' i.e. with great minuteness of detail.
Used by Fabyan, who says that 'to reherce ceryous/y' all the
conquests of Henry V would fill a volume; Chron., ed. Ellis, p. 589.
Skelton, in his Garland of Laurell, 1. 581, has : 'And seryously she
shewyd me ther denominacyons'; on which Dyce remarks that it
means sert'athn, and gi\es a clear example. It answers to the Low
Latin seriose, used in two senses ; (i) seriously, gravely ; {2} minutely,
LI. 185-228.] THE TALE OF THE MAN OF LAWE. 147
fully. In the latter case it is perhaps to be referred to the Lat. series,
not serins. A similar word, cereaily (Lat. seriatim), is found three
times in the Romance of Partenay, ed. Skeat, with the sense oi in due
order ; cf. Ceriatly and Ceryotus in the New E. Diet.
In N. and Q. 7 S. xii. 183, I shewed that Lydgate has at least ieti
examples of this use of the word in his Siege of Troye. In one instance
it is spelt seryously (with j).
190. This refers to the old belief in astrology and the casting of
nativities. Cf. Prol. A. 414-418. Obser\-e that 11. 190-203 are not in
the original, and were doubtless added in revision. This is why this
sowdati in 1. 1S6 is so far separated from the repetition of the same
words in 1. 204.
197. Tyrwhitt shews that this stanza is imitated closely from some
Latin lines, some of which are quoted in the margin of many MSS. of
Chaucer. He quotes them at length from the Megacosmos of Bernardus
Silvestris, a poet of the twelfth century (extant in MS. Bodley 1265).
The lines are as follows, it being premised that those printed in italics
•are cited in the margin of MSS. E. Hn. Cp. Pt. and Ln. : —
' Praeiacet in stellis series, quam longior aetas
Explicet et spatiis temporis ordo suis,
Sceptra Phoronei, fratrtan discordia 7'Jiebis,
Flaintna PJiaetJiojitis, Deucalionis ague.
In stellis Codri paupertas, copia Croesi,
Incestus Paridis, Hippolytique pudor.
In stellis Prianii species, audacia Turtii,
Sensus Ulixeus, Herculeusque tiigor.
In stellis pugil est Pollux et nauita Typhis,
Et Cicero rhetor et geometra Thales.
In stellis lepidum dictat Maro, Milo figurat,
Fulgurat in Latia nobilitate Nero.
Astra notat Persis, ^gyptus parturit artes,
Graecia docta legit, praelia Roma gerit.'
See Bemardi Sylvestris Megacosmos, ed. C. S. Barach and J. Wrobel,
Innsbruck, 1876, p. 16. The names Ector (Hector), &c., are too
well known to require comment. The death of Turnus is told at the
end of Vergil's i^neid.
207, 208. Here have, forming part of the phrase mighte have grace,
is unemphatic, whilst han (for haven) is emphatic, and signifies pos-
session. See han again in 1. 241.
211. Compare Squieres Tale, F. 202, 203, and the note thereon.
224. Mahou?i, Mahomet. The French version does not mention
Mahomet. This is an anachronism on Chaucer's part ; the Emperor
Tiberius II. died A. D. 582, when Mahomet was but twelve years old.
228. / prey yow holde, I pray you to hold. Here holde is the
infinitive mood. The imperative plural would be holdeth ; see saveth,
next line.
L 2
148 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
236. Matoneitrye, idolatry ; from the Mid. E. matimet, an idol,
corrupted from Mahomet. The confusion introduced by using the
word Mahomet for an idol may partly account for the anachronism in
1. 224. The Mahometans were falsely supposed by our forefathers to
be idolaters.
242. Jioot, equivalent to m ivoot, know not.
248. gret-e forms the fourth foot in the line. If we read gret, the
line is left imperfect at the caesura ; and we should have to scan it with
a medial pause, as thus : —
That them | perour || —of | his grdt [ noblesse ||
Line 621 below may be read in a similar manner: —
But nd I thelees || — ther | was grdet | moorning ||
253. ' So, when Ethelbert married Bertha, daughter of the Christian
King Charibert, she brought with her, to the court of her husband,
a Gallican bishop named Leudhard, who was permitted to celebrate
mass in the ancient British Church of St. Martin, at Canterbury.' —
Note in Bell's Chaucer.
255. ynoive, being plural, takes a final e ; we then read tJCettde, as
explained in note to 1. 145. The pi. ino'^he occurs in the Ormulum.
263. al/e and some, collectively and individually ; one and all. See
Cler. Tale, E. 941, &c.
273-87. Not in the original ; perhaps added in revision.
277. The word al/e, being plural, is dissyllabic. Thing is often
a plural form, being an A. S. neuter noun. The words over, ever,
never are, in Chaucer, generally monosyllables, or nearly so ; just as
o'er, e'er, ne'er are treated as monosyllables by our poets in general.
Hence the scansion is—' Ov'r al | Ic thing \ ,' Sac.
289. The word a/ is inserted from the Cambridge MS. ; all the
other six MSS. omit it, which makes the passage one of extreme
difficulty. Tyrwhitt reads * Or Ylion brent, or Thebes the citee.' Of
course he means bretide, past tense, not brent, the past participle; and
his conjecture amounts to inserting or before Thebes. It is better to
insert at, as in MS. Cm. ; see Oilman's edition. The sense is — 'When
Pyrrhus broke the wall, before Ilium burnt, (nor) at the city of Thebes,
nor at Rome,' &c. Nat (1. 290) = A''^ at, as in HI. Yliort, in medieval
romance, meant 'the citadel' of Troy; see my note to 1. 936 of the
Legend of Good Women. Tyrwhitt well observes that ' Thebes the
citee' is a French phrase. He quotes 'dedans Renes Ja cite,'
Froissart, v. i. c. 225.
295-315. Not in the original, and clearly a later addition. They
include an allusion to Boethius (see next note).
295. In the margin of the Ellesmere MS. is written— ' Vnde Ptholo-
meus, libro i. cap. 8. Primi motus celi duo sunt, quorum vnus est qui
mouet totum semper ab Oriente in Occidentem vno modo super orbes,
&c. Item alitervero motus est qui mouet orbem stellarum currencium
LI. 336-99] THE TALE OF THE MAN OF LAWE. 149
contra motum primum, videlicet, ab Occidente in Orientem super alios
duos polos.' The old astronomy imagined nine spheres revolving
round the central stationary earth ; of the seven innermost, each
carried with it one of the seven planets, viz. the ]\Ioon, Venus,
Mercury, Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn ; the eighth sphere, that
of the fixed stars, had a slow motion from west to east, round
the axis of the zodiac (super alios duos polos), to account for the
precession of the equinoxes ; whilst the ninth or outermost sphere,
called th& primum mobile, or the sphere of first motion, had a diurnal
revolution from east to west, carr^-ing everything with it. This exactly
corresponds with Chaucer's language. He addresses the outermost
sphere ox primian mobile (which is the 7ii]ith if reckoning from within,
but \\i<e. first from without), and accuses it of carrying with it everything
in its irresistible westward motion ; a motion contrary to that of the
'natural' motion, viz. that in which the sun advances along the signs
of the zodiac. The result was that the evil influence of the planet
Mars prevented the marriage. It is clear that Chaucer was thinking
of certain passages in Boethius, as will appear from consulting his
own translation of Boethius, ed. Morris, pp. 21, 22, 106, and no.
I quote a few lines to shew this : —
'O \o\x maker of \c whele ))at bere]) \& sterres, whiche J)at art
fastned to \\ perdurable chaycre, and turnest ^e heuene \s\\ a
rauyssyng stueighe, and constreinest })e sterres to suffren \\ lawe ' ;
pp. 21, 22.
'|)e regioun of j)e fire J)at eschaufi)) by ])e swikt. moeuyng o/pe firma-
ment; p. no.
The original is —
* O stelliferi conditor orbis
Qui perpetuo nixus solio
Rapidum caelum turbine uersas,
Legemque pati sidera cogis';
Boeth. Cons. Phil. lib. i. met. 5.
' Quique agili motu calet aetheris' ; id. lib. iv. met. i.
(See the same passages in vol. ii. pp. 16, 94).
To the original nine spheres, as above, was afterwards added a tenth
or cr^'stalline sphere ; see the description in the Complaint of Scotland,
ed. Murray (E. E. T. S.), pp. 47, 48. For the figure, see fig. 10 on
Plate v., in my edition of Chaucer's Astrolabe (in vol. iii.).
Compare also the following passage : —
'The earth, in roundness of a perfect ball,
Which as a point but of this mighty all
Wise Nature fixed, that permanent doth stay,
Wheras the spheres by a diurnal sway
Of the first Mover carried are about.'
Drayton : The Man in the Moon.
299. crowding, pushing. This is still a familiar word in East
150 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
Anglia. Forby, in his Glossary of the East Anglian Dialect, says —
' Crowd, V. to push, shove, or press close. To the word, in its conwion
acceptation, nianber seems necessary. With us, one individual can
crowd another.' To crowd a wheelbarrow means to push it. The
expression ' crod in a barwe,' i.e. wheeled or pushed along in a wheel-
barrow, occurs in the Paston Letters, a.d. 1477, ed. Gairdncr, iii. 215.
302. A planet is said to ascend directly, when in a direct sign ; but
tortuously, when in a tortuous sign. The tortuous signs are those
which ascend most obliquely to the horizon, viz. the signs from
Capricomus to Gemini inclusive. Chaucer tells us this himself \ see
his Treatise on the Astrolabe, part ii. sect. 28, in vol. iii. The most
'tortuous 'of these are the two middle ones, Pisces and Aries. Of
these two, Aries is called the mansion of Mars, and we may therefore
suppose the ascending sign to be Aries, the lord of which (Mars) is
said to have fallen 'from his angle into the darkest house.' The
words * angle ' and ' house ' are used technically. The whole zodiacal
circle was divided into twelve equal parts, or ' houses.' Of these, four
(beginning from the cardinal points) were termed ' angles,' four others
(next following them) 'succedents,' and the rest 'cadents.' It appears
that Mars was not then situate in an 'angle,' but in his 'darkest (i.e.
darker) house.' Mars had two houses, Aries and Scorpio. The latter
is here meant ; Aries being the ascendent sign, Scorpio was below
the horizon, and beyond the western ' angle.'
Now Scorpio was ' called the house of death, and of trauaile, of
harm, and of domage, of strife, of battaile, of guilefulnesse and falsnesse,
and of wit'; Batman upon Bartholom^, lib. viii. c. 17. We may
represent the position of Mars by the following table, where East
represents the ascending sign, West the descending sign ; and A., S.,
and C. stand for * angle,' * succedent,' and ' cadent house ' respectively.
East. — Aries. Taurus. Gemini. Cancer. Leo. \'irgo.
I. A. 2. S. 3. C. 4. A. 5. S. 6. C.
West. — Libra. Scorpio. Sagittarius. Capricomus. Aquarius. Pisces.
7. A. 8. S. 9. C. 10. A. U.S. 12. C.
Again, the ' darkest house ' was sometimes considered to be the
eighth ; though authorities varied. This again points to Scorpio.
' Nulla diuisio circuli tarn pessima, tamque crudelis in omnibus,
quam octaua est.' — Aphorismi Astrologi Ludovici de Rigiis ; sect. 35.
I may also note here, that in Lydgate's Siege of Troy, ed. 1555,
fol. Y 4, there is a long passage on the evil effects of Mars in the
' house ' of Scorpio.
305. The meaning oi Aiazir has long remained undiscovered. But
by the kind help of Mr. Bensly, one of the sub-librarians of the Cam-
bridge University Library, I am enabled to explain it. Atasir or
atacir is the Spanish spelling of the Arabic al-tasir, influence, given
at p. 351 of Richardson's Pers. Diet., ed. 1829. It is a noun derived
from asara, a verb of the second conjugation, meaning to leave a mark
LI. 303-I2.] THE TALE OF THE MAN OF LAWE. 151
on, from the substantive asar, a mark ; the latter substantive is given
at p. 20 of the same work. Its use in astrology is commented upon by
Dory, who gives it in the form aiacir, in his Glossaire des Mots
Espagnols derive's de I'Arabique, p. 207. It signifies the infiuence of
a star or planet upon other stars, or upon the fortunes of men. In the
present case it is clearly used in a bad sense ; we may therefore
translate it by 'evil influence,' i.e. the influence of Mars in the
house of Scorpio. On this common deterioration in the meaning of
words, see Trench, Study of Words, p. 52. The word craft, for
example, is a very similar instance ; it originally meant skill, and
hence, a trade, and we find star-craft used in particular to signify the
science of astronomy.
307. ' Thou art in conjunction in an unfavourable position ; from
the position in which thou wast favourably placed thou art moved
away.' This I take to mean that the Moon (as well as Mars) was in
Scorpio ; hence their conjunction. But Scorpio was called the Moon's
depressiofi^ha'mg the sign in which her influence was least favourable :
she was therefore ' not well received,' i. e., not supported by a lucky
planet, or by a planet in a lucky position, lueyved, pushed aside.
312. ' Is there no choice as to when to fix the voyage .'" The favour-
able moment for commencing a voyage was one of the points on which
it was considered desirable to have an astrologer's opinion. Travelling,
at that time, was a serious matter. Yet this was only one of the many
undertakings which required, as was thought, to be begun at a favour-
able moment. Whole books were written on ' elections./ i.e. favourable
times for commencing operations of all kinds. Chaucer was thinking,
in particular, of the following passage, which is written in the margins
of the Ellesmere and Hengwrt MSS. : ' Omnes concordati sunt quod
elecciones sint debiles nisi in diuitibus : habent enim isti, licet debili-
tentur eorum elecciones, radicem, i. {id t'j-/] natiuitates eorum, que
confortat omnem planetam debilem in itinere.' The sense of which
is — ' For all are agreed, that " elections " are weak, except in the case
of the rich ; for these, although their elections be weakened, have
a "root" of their own, that is to say, their nativities (cr horoscopes) ;
which root strengthens every planet that is of weak influence with
respect to a journey.' This is extracted, says Tyrwhitt, from a Liber
Electionum by a certain Zael ; see MS. Karl. 80; MS. Bodley 1648.
This is a very fair example of the jargon to be found in old books on
astrology. The old astrologers used to alter their predictions almost
at pleasure, by stating that their results depended on several causes,
which partly counteracted one another ; an arrangement of which the
convenience is obvious. Thus, if the aspect of the planets at the time
inquired about appeared to be adverse to a journey, it might still be
the case (they said) that such evil aspect might be overcome by the
fortunate aspect of the inquirer's horoscope ; or, conversely, an ill
aspect in the horoscope could be counteracted by a fit election of
a time for action. A rich man would probably be fitted with a fortunate
152 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
horoscope, or else why should he buy one ? Such horoscope depended
on the aspect of the heavens at the time of birth or 'nativity,' and, in
particular, upon the ' ascendent ' at that time ; i. e. upon the planets
lying nearest to the point of the zodiac which happened, at that
moment, to be nscendittg, i. e. just appearing above the horizon. So
Chaucer, in his Treatise on the Astrolabe, pt. ii. § 4, (vol. iii. 191),
explains the matter, saying — 'The assendent sothly, as wel in alle
nativitez as in questiouns and elecciouns oftymes, is a thing which that
thise Astrologiens gretly observen ' ; &;c. The curious reader may
find much more to the same effect in the same Treatise, with directions
to 'make roots' in pt. ii. § 44.
The curious may further consult the Epitome Astrologiae of Johannes
Hispalensis. The whole of Book iv. of that work is ' De Electionibus,'
and the title of cap. xv. is ' Pro Itinere.'
Lydgate, in his Siege of Thebes, just at the beginning, describes the
astronomers as casting the horoscope of the infant CEdipus. They
were expected < ^^ ^^^^ ^ judgement,
The roote i-take at the ascendent.
Truly sought out, by minute and degre,
The selfe houre of his natiuite,
Not forj^et the heauenly mansions
Clerely searched by smale fraccions,' &c.
To take a different example, Ashmole, in his Theatrum Chemicum,
1652, says in a note on p. 450 — ' Generally in all Elections the Efificacy
of the Starrs are {sic) used, as it were by a certaine application made
thereof to those unformed Natures that are to be wrought upon ;
whereby to further the working thereof, and make them more available
to our purpose. . . . And by such Elections as good use may be made
of the Celestiall influences, as a Physitian doth of the variety of herbes.
. . . But Nativities are the Radices of Elections, and therefore we
ought chiefly to looke backe upon them as the principal Root and
Foundation of all Operations ; and next to them the quality of the
Thing we intend to fit must be respected, so that, by an apt position
of Heaven, and fortifying the Planets and Houses in the Nativity of
the Operator, and making them agree with the thing signified, the
impression made by that influence will abundantly augment the
Operation,' &c. ; with much more to the same effect. Several
passages in Norton's Ordinall, printed in the same volume (see pp. 60,
100), shew clearly what is meant by Chaucer in his Prologue, 11. 415-7.
The Doctor could 'fortune the ascendent of his images,' by choosing
a favourable moment for the making of charms in the form of images,
when a suitable planet was in the ascendent. Cf. Troil. ii. 74.
314. 7-oie is the astrological term for the epoch from which to
reckon. The exact moment of a nativity being known, the astrologers
were supposed to be able to calculate everything else. See the last note.
332. Alkaron, the Koran ; al is the Arabic article.
L1.3I4-43M THE TALE OF THE MAN OF LAWE. 153
333. Here Makomete is used instead of Mahoun (I. 224). See
Washington Irving's Life of Mahomet.
message, messenger. This is a correct form, according to the usages
of Middle English ; cf. 1. 144. In like manner, we i\r\^ prison used to
mean a prisoner, which is often puzzling at first sight.
340. ' Because we denied Mahomet, our (object of) belief.'
360. 'O serpent under the form of woman, like that Serpent that is
bound in hell.' The allusion here is not a little curious. It clearly
refers to the old belief that the serpent who tempted Eve appeared
to her with a woman's head, and it is sometimes so represented.
I observed it, for instance, in the chapter-house of Salisbury Cathedral ;
and see the woodcut at p. 73 of Wright's History of Caricature and
Grotesque in Art. In Peter Comestor's Historia Libri Genesis, we
read of Satan — * Elegit etiam quoddam genus serpentis (vt ait Beda)
virgineum vulttan habens.' In the alliterative Troy Book, ed. Panton
and Donaldson, p. 144, the Tempter is called Lyuyaton (i.e. Leviathan},
and it is said of him that he
'Hade a face vne fourmet as a fre niaydon''; 1. 4451.
And, again, in Piers the Plowman, B. xviii. 355, Satan is compared to
a Musarde [lizard] with a lady insage.' In the Ancren Riwle, p. 207,
we are gravely informed that a scorpion is a kind of serpent that
has a face somewhat like that of a woman, and puts on a pleasant
countenance. To remember this gives peculiar force to 11. 370, 371.
See also note to 1. 404.
367. knowestow is a trisyllable ; and the olde is to be read tJioldc.
But in 1. 371, the word Makestow, being differently placed in the line,
is to be read with the e slurred over, as a dissyllable.
380. mosie, might. It is not always used like the modern vmst.
401. See Lucan's Pharsalia, iii. 79 — * Perdidit o qualem uincendo
plura triumphum ! ' But Chaucer's reference, evidently made at
random, is unlucky. Lucan laments that he had no triumph to
record.
404. The line is deficient at the beginning, the word But standing
by itself as a foot. So also in A. 294, G. 341, (S:c. See Ellis's Early
English Pronunciation, pp. 333, 649. (This peculiarity was pointed out
by me in 1866, in the Aldine edition of Chaucer, i. 174.) For the sense
of scorpioun, see the reference to the Ancren Riwle, in note to 1. 360,
and compare the following extracts. ' Thes is the scorpioun, thet
maketh uayr mid the heauede, and enuenymeth mid the tayle' ; Ayenbite
of Inwyt, ed. Morris, p. 62. ' The scorpion, the whiche enoynteth with
his tongue, and prjxketh sore with his taylle '; Caxton, Fables of
iEsop ; Lib. iv. fable 3. Chaucer repeats the idea, somewhat more
fully, in the Marchaunts Tale, E. 2058-2060. So also this wikked gost
means this Evil Spirit, this Tempter.
421. Pronounce ever rapidly, and accent snccessour on the first
syllable. In the margin of MSS. E. Hn. Pt. and Cp. is the following
154 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
note : * Nota, de inopinato dolore. Semper mundane leticie tristicia
repentina succedit. Mundana igitur felicitas multis amaritudinibus est
respersa. Extrema gaudii luctus occupat. Audi ergo salubre con-
silium ; in diebonorum ne immemor sis malorum.' This is one of the
passages from Innocent's treatise de Contemptu Mundi, of which I have
already spoken in the note to B. 99-121 above (p. 140). Lib. i. c. 23
has the heading — ' De inopinato dolore.' It begins : — ' Semper enim
mundanae letitiae tristitia repentina succedit. Et quod incipit a gaudio,
desinit in moerore. Mundana quippe felicitas multis amaritudinibus
est respersa. Noverat hoc qui dixerat : " Risus dolore miscebitur, et
extrema gaudii luctus occupat." . . . Attende salubrem consilium : " In
die bonorum, non immemor sis malorum." '
This passage is mostly made up of scraps taken from different authors.
I find in Boethius, De Consolatione Philosophiae. lib. ii. pr. 4 — ' Ouam
multis amaritudinibus humanae felicitatis dulcedo respersa est'; which
Chaucer translates by— 'The swetnesse of mannes wclefulnesse is
spray ned ivith iiiany bitemesses^ \ see vol. ii. p. 34; and the same
expression is repeated here, in 1. 422. Gower quotes the same passage
from Boethius in the prologue to his Confessio Amantis. The next
sentence is from Prov. xiv. 13 — ' Risus dolore miscebitur, et extrema
gaudii luctus occupat.' The last clause (see 11. 426, 427) is from Ecclesi-
asticus, xi. 27 (in the Vulgate version). Cf. Troil. iv. 836.
438. Compare Trivet's French prose version : — ' Dount ele fist
estorier vne neef de vitaile, de payn quest apele bisquit, & de peis, &
de feues, de sucre, & de meel, & de vyn, pur sustenaunce de la vie de
la pucele pur treis aunx ; e en cele neef fit mettre la richesse & le
tresour que lempire Tiberie auoit maunde oue la pucele Constaunce,
sa fiUe ; e en cele neef fist la soudane mettre la pucele saunz sigle, &
sauntz neuiroun, & sauntz chescune maner de eide de homme.' I. e. ' Then
she caused a ship to be stored with victuals, with bread that is called
biscuit, with peas, beans, sugar, honey, and wine, to sustain the
maiden's life for three years. And in this ship she caused to be placed
the riches and treasure which the Emperor Tiberius had sent with
the maid Constance his daughter ; and in this ship the Sultaness
caused the maiden to be put, without sail or oar, or any kind of
human aid.'
foot-hot, hastily. It occurs in Gower, ed. Pauli, ii. 114; in The
Romaunt of the Rose, 1. 3827 : Octovian, 1224, in Weber's Met. Rom.
iii. 208 ; Sevyn Sages, 843, in the same, iii. 34 ; Richard Coer de Lion,
1798, 2185, in the same, ii. 71, 86 ; and in Barbour's Bruce, iii. 418, xiii.
454. Compare the term hot-trod, explained by Sir W. Scott to mean
the pursuit of marauders with bloodhounds : see note 3 H to the Lay
of the Last Minstrel. We also find hot fot, i. e. immediately, in the
Debate of the Body and the Soul, 1. 481. It is a translation of the
O. F. phrase chalt pas, immediately, examples of which are given by
Godefroy.
449-62. Not in the original ; perhaps added in revision.
LI. 438-61.] THE TALE OF THE MAN OF LAWE.
loo
451-62. Compare these lines with verses 3 and 5 of the hymn
' Lustra sex qui iam peregit ' in the office of Lauds from Passion
Sunday to Wednesday in Holy Week inclusive, in the Roman breviar)'.
This hymn was written by Venantius Fortunatus ; see Leyser's
collection, p. 168.
Crux fidelis, inter omnes
Arbor una nobilis :
Silua talem nulla profert
Fronde, flore, germine :
Duke ferrum, dulcc lignum,
Dulce pondus sustinent
Sola digna tu fuisti
Ferre mundi uictimam ;
Atque portum praeparare,
Area mundo naufrago,
Ouam sacer cruor perunxit,
Fusus Agni corpore-'
See the translation in Hymns Ancient and Modern, No. 97, part 2 (new
edition), beginning — 'Now the thirty years accomplished.'
We come still nearer to the original of Chaucer's lines when we
consider the form of prayer quoted in the Ancren Riwle, p. 34, which
is there given as follows : — ' Salue crux sancta, arbor digna, quae sola
fuisti digna portare Regem celorum et Dominum . . . . O crux gloriosa !
o crux adoranda ! o lignum preciosum, et admirabile signum, per quod
et diabolus est victus, et mundus Christi sanguine redemptus.'
460. ////// and here, him and her, i. e. man and woman ; as in Piers
the Plowman, A. Pass. i. 1. 100. The allusion is to the supposed power
of the cross over evil spirits. See The Legends of the Holy Rood, ed.
Morris ; especially the story of the Invention of the Cross by St. Helen,
p. 160 — ' And anone, as he had made the [sign of the] crosse, \& grete
multitude of deuylles vanyshed awaye'; or, in the Latin original,
' statimque ut edidit signum crucis, omnis ilia daemonum multitudo
euanuit '; Aurea Legenda, ed. Grasse, 2nd ed. p. 311. Cf. Piers Plow-
man, B. xviii. 429-431.
461. The reading of this line is certain, and must not be altered.
But it is impossible io parse the line without at once noticing that there
is some difficulty in the construction. The best solution is obtained
by taking which in the sense of ivhom. A familiar example of this use
of which for who occurs in the Lord's Prayer. See also Abbott's
Shakespearian Grammar, Sect. 265. The construction is as follows —
* O viccorious tree, protection of true people, that alone wast worthy to
bear the King of Heaven with His new wounds — the White Lamb that
was hurt with the spear — O expeller of fiends out of both man and
woman, on whom (i.e. the men and women on whom) thine arms faith-
fully spread out,' &c. Limes means the arms of the cross, spread
before a person to protect him.
156 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
464. see of Grece^ here put for the Mediterranean Sea.
46.5. Marrok, Morocco ; alluding to the Strait of Gibraltar ; cf. 1. 947.
So also in Barbour's Bruce, iii. 688.
470-504. Not in the French text; perhaps added in revision.
474. The?; where ; as usual, knai'e, servant.
475. * Was eaten by the lion ere he could escape.' Cf 1. 437.
480. The word clcrkes refers to Boethius. This passage is due to
Boeth. bk. iv. pr. 6. 11 4- 117, and 152-4; see vol. ii. pp. 117, 118.
491. See Revelation vii. 1-3.
497. Here (if iliat be omitted) As seems to form a foot by itself, which
gives but a poor line. See note to 1. 404.
500. Alluding to St. Mary the Egyptian {Maria Egiptiaca), who
according to the legend, after a youth spent in debauchery, lived
entirely alone for the last forty-seven years of her life in the wilder-
ness beyond the Jordan. She lived in the fifth century. Her day is
April 9. See Mrs. Jameson's Sacred and Legendary Art ; Rutebuef
ed. Jubinal, ii. 106-150 ; Maundeville's Travels, ed. Halliwell, p. 96;
Aurea Legenda, ed. Grasse, cap. Ivi. She was often confused with
St. Mary ISIagdalen.
508. Northiimberlond, the district, not the county. Yorkshire is, in
fact, meant, as the P'rench version expressly mentions the Humber.
510. of al a iyde, for the whole of an hour.
512. the constable ; named Eida by Trivet and Gower.
519. Trivet says that she answered Elda in his own language, 'en
sessoneys,' in Saxon, for she had learnt many languages in her youth.
525. The word dcyc seems to have had two pronunciations ; in 1. 644
it is dye, with a different rime. In fact, Mr. Cromie's *Ryme-Index'
to Chaucer proves the point. On the one hand, deye rimes to atueye,
disobeye, d?-eye, preye, seye, tweye, weye ; and on the other, dye
rimes to av out rye, btgamye, compaigiiye, Emelye, genterye, lye,
nialadye, &c. So also, /a'gh appears both as hey and hy.
527. forgat hir ininde, lost her memory.
531. The final e in plese is preserved from elision by the caesural
pause. Or, we may r&didi piesen ; yet the MSS. have plese.
533. Hermengild; spelt Hermyngild in Trivet ; answering to A. S.
£"<?rw^;?§-//df (Lappenberg, Hist. England, i. 285). Note that St. Her-
mengild was martyred just at this very time, Apr. 13, 846.
543. plages, regions ; we even find the word in Marlowe's Tambur-
laine, pt. i. act iv. sc. 4, and pt. ii. act i. sc. i. The latter passage is —
* From Scythia to the oriental plage Of India.'
552. * Eyes of his mind.' Jean de Meun has the expression les yc.v
de cuer, the eyes of the heart ; see his Testament, 11. 1412, 1683.
hid,. Alia, i.e. /Ella, king of Northumberland, A. D. 560-567; the
same whose name Gregory (afterwards Pope) turned, by a pun, into
Alleluia, according to the version of the celebrated story about
Gregory and the English slaves, as given in Beda, Eccl. Hist.
b. ii. c. I.
LI. 464-666.] THE TALE OF THE MAN OF LAWE. 157
584. quyte her whyle, repay her time ; i.e. her pains, trouble ; as
when we say ' it is worth while.' Wile is nol intended.
585. ' The plot of the knight against Constance, and also her sub-
sequent adventure with the steward, are both to be found, with some
variations, in a story in the Gesta Romanorum, ch. loi ; MS. Karl.
2270. Occleve has versified the whole story'; Tyrwhitt. See vol.
iii. p. 410, for further information. Compare the conduct of lachimo,
in Cymbeline.
609. See Troil. iv. 357.
620. Berth hir on hond, affirms falsely ; lit. bears her in hand.
Chaucer uses the phrase ' to here in hond ' with the sense of false
affirmation, sometimes with the idea of accusing falsely, as here and in
the Wyf of Bathes Prologue, D. 393 ; and sometimes with that of per-
suading falsely, D. 232, 380. In Shakespeare the sense is rather — 'to
keep in expectation, to amuse with false pretences'; Nares's Glossary'.
Barbour uses it in the more general sense of 'to affirm,' or 'to make
a statement,' whether falsely or truly. In Dyce's Skelton, i. 237, occurs
the line — ' They bare me in hande that I was a spye '; which Dyce
explains by 'they accused me, laid to my charge that,' &c. He refers
us to Palsgrave, who has some curious examples of it. E. g., at
p. 450: — 'Ibeai'e in hande, I threp upon a man that he hath done
a dede or make hym beleve so, le fais occroyre ... I beare hym in
hande he was wode, le lay niels sus la raijfe, or ie liiy nietz siis
qtiil csioyt enrage. What crime or yuell mayest thou beare me in
hande of; &c. So also : ' Many be borne an hande of a faute, and
punysshed therfore, that were neuer gylty ; Plerique facinoris insitmi-
lantur^ &c. ; Hormanni Vulgaria, sig. m. ii. ed. 1530. In Skelton's
Why Come Ye Nat to Courte, 1. 449, bereih on hand simply means
' persuades.'
631-58. Not in the original. A later insertion, of much beauty.
634. * And bound Satan ; and he still lies where he (then) lay.' In
the Apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus, Christ descends into hell, and
(according to some versions) binds him with chains ; see Piers Plow-
man, B. xviii. 401.
639. Siisati7ie ; see the story of Susannah, in the Apocrypha.
641. The Virgin's mother is called Anna in the Apocryphal Gospel of
James. Her day is July 26. See Aurea Legenda, ed. Grasse, cap.
cxxxi ; Cowper's Apociyphal Gospels, p. 4.
647. 'Where that he gat (could get) for himself no favour.'
660. ' For pitee renneth sone in gentil herte ' ; Knightes Tale,
A. 1 761. And see note to Sq. Tale, F. 479.
664. us avyse, deliberate with ourselves, consider the matter again.
Compare the law-phrase Le roi s'avisera, by which the king refuses
assent to a measure proposed. ' We will consider whom to appoint as
judge.'
666. I.e. a copy of the Gospels in Welsh or British, called in the
French prose version ' liure des Ewangeiles.' Agreements were some-
158 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Groups.
times written on the fly-leaves of copies of the Gospels, as may be seen
in two copies of the A. S. version of them.
669. A very similar miracle is recorded in the old alliterative romance
of Joseph of Arimathea, 1. 362. The French version has : — 'a peine
auoit fini la parole, qe vne mayn close, com poyn de homme, apparut
deuant Elda et quant questoient en presence, etferri tiel coup enle haterel
le feloun, que ambedeus lez eus lui enuolerent de la teste, & les dentz hors
de la bouche ; & le feloun chai abatu a la terre ; et a ceo dist vne voiz
en le oyance de touz : Aduersus filiammatrisecclesieponebasscandalum;
hec fecisti, et tacui.' I. e. ' Scarcely had he ended the word, when
a closed hand, like a man's fist, appeared before Elda and all who were in
the presence, and smote such a blow on the nape of the felon's neck that
both his eyes flew out of his head, and the teeth out of his mouth ; and
the felon fell smitten down to the earth ; and thereupon a voice said in
the hearing of all, "Against the daughter of Mother Church thou wast
laying a scandal ; this hast thou done, and I held my peace." ' The
reading taciii suggests that, in 1. 676, the word holde should rather be
held\ but the MSS. do not recognise this reading.
697. /;/r ///£'//^///«?, it seemed to her ; //wz/'_^/;/^ is here impersonal ; so
in 1. 699. The French text adds that Domulde (Donegild) was, more-
over, jealous of hearing the praises of Constance's beauty.
701. Me list 7iat, it pleases me not, I do not wish to. He does not
wish to give every detail. In this matter Chaucer is often very judicious ;
Gower and others often give the more unimportant matters as fully as
the rest. Cf 1. 706; and see Squyeres Tale, F. 401.
703. W/iai, why. Cf. Squyeres Tale, F. 283, 298.
716. Trivet says — ' Puis a vn demy aan passe, vint nouele al Roy que
les gentz de Albania, qe sountz les Escotz, furent passes lour boundes
et guerrirent les terres le Roy. Dount par comun counseil, le Roi
assembla son ost de rebouter ses enemis. Et auant son departir vers
Escoce, baila la Reine Constaunce sa femme en la garde Elda, le
Conestable du chastel, et a Lucius, leuesqe de Bangor ; si lour chargea
que quant ele fut deliueres denlaunt, qui lui feisoient hastiuement sauoir
la nouele '; i. e. ' Then, after half-a-year, news came to the king that
the people of Albania, who are the Scots, had passed their bounds, and
warred on the king's lands. Then by common counsel the king
gathered his host to rebut his foes. And before his departure towards
Scotland, he committed Queen Constance his wife to the keeping of
Elda, the constable of the castle, and of Lucius, bishop of Bangor, and
charged them that when she was delivered, they should hastily let
him know the news.'
722. knave child, male child ; as in Clerkes Tale, E. 444.
723. at thefontstoon, i. e. at his baptism ; French text — ' al baptisme
fu noma Moris.'
729. to doon his avantage, to suit his. convenience. He hoped, by
going only a little out of his way, to tell Donegild the news also,
and to receive a reward for doing so. Trivet says that the old
LI. 669-754.] THE TALE OF THE MAN OF LAWE. 159
Queen was then at Knaresborough, situated 'between England and
Scotland, as in an intermediate place.* Its exact site is less than
seventeen miles west of York. Donegild pretends to be very pleased
at the news, and gives the man a rich present.
736. lettres ; so in all seven MSS. ; Tyrwhitt reads lettre. But it is
right as it is. Lettres is sometimes used, like Lat. literae, in a singular
sense, and the French text has ' les lettres.' Examples occur in Piers
Plowman, B. ix. 38 ; Bruce, ii. 80. See 1. 744, and note to 1. 747.
738. If ye wol aught, if you wish (to say) anything.
740, Donegild is dissyllabic here, as in 1. 695, but in 1. 805 it appears
to have three syllables. Chaucer constantly alters proper names so as
to suit his metre.
74.3. sadly, steadily, with the idea of long continuance.
747. lettre ; here the singular form is used, but it is a matter of
indifiference. Exactly the same variation occurs in Barbour's Bruce,
ii. 80:—
'And, among othir, lettres ar gayn
To the byschop off Androwis towne,
That tauld how slayn wes that baroun.
The lettir tauld hym all the deid,' &c.
This circumstance, of exchanging the messenger's letters for forged ones,
is found in Matthew Paris's account of the Life of Offa the first ; ed.
Wats, pp. 965-968.
748. direct, directed, addressed ; French text ' maundez.'
75L Pronounce horrible as in French.
752. The last word in this line should rather be nas (= was not),
as has kindly been pointed out to me; though the seven MSS. and
the old editions all have was. By this alteration we should secure
a true rime.
754. elf; French text — 'ele fumalueise espirit en fourme de femme,'
she was an evil spirit in form of woman. Elf'xs the A. S. celf Icel. dlfr,
G. alp and elfs; Shakespeare writes ouphes for elves. 'The Edda
distinguishes between Ljosdlfar, the elves of light, and Dokkdlfar,
elves of darkness ; the latter are not elsewhere mentioned either in
modem fairy tales or in old writers In the Alvism.41, elves and
dwarfs are clearly distinguished as different. The abode of the elves
in the Edda is A'Ifheimar, fairy land, and their king the god Frey, the
god of light. In the fairy tales the Elves haunt the hills ; hence their
name Huldufdlk, hidden people; respecting their origin, life, and
customs, see I'slenzkar ))j6^sogur, i. i. In old writers the Elves are
rarely mentioned ; but that the same tales were told as at present is
clear'; note on the word dlfr, in Cleasby and Vigfusson's Icelandic
Dictionarj'. See also Keightley's Fairy Mythology, and Brand's
Popular Antiquities. The word is here used in a bad sense, and is
nearly equivalent to witch. In the Prompt. Parv. we find—' Fife,
spryte, Laviia ' ; and Mr. Way notes that these elves were often sup-
posed to bewitch children, and to use them cruelly.
i6o NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [GroupB.
767. Pronounce dgredble nearly as in French, and with an accent on
the first and third syllables.
769. take, handed over, delivered. Take often means to give or
hand over in Middle English : very seldom to convey or bring.
771. In the margin of MSS. E. Hn. Cp. and Pt. is written— ' Quid
turpius cbrioso, cui fetor in ore, tremor in corpore, qui promit stulta,
prodit occulta, cuius mens alienatur, facies transformatur ? Nullum
enim latet secretum ubi regnat ebrietas.' This is obviously the
original of the stanza, 11. 771-777 ; cf. note to B. 99 above. There is
nothing answering to it in Trivet, but it is to be found in Pope
Innocent's treatise De Contemptu Mundi, lib. ii. c. ig—De ebrietate.
Migne's edition has * promittit multa ' for 'promit stulta.' The last
clause is quoted from Prov. xxxi. 4 in the Vulgate version ; our
English versions omit it. See B. 2384.
778. * O Donegild, I have no language fit to tell,' (S:c.
782. mannish, man-like, i. e. harsh and cruel, not mild and gentle
like a woman. But Chaucer is not satisfied with the epithet, and says he
ought rather to call her ' fiend-like.' Perhaps it is worth while to say
that in Gower's Conf. Amant., lib. vi., where Pauli (iii. 52) has ' Most
liche to vianncs creature,' the older edition by Chalmers has the form
mannish. Lines 778-84 are not in the original.
789. 'He stowed away plenty (of wine) under his girdle,' i.e. drank
his fill.
794. Pronounce constdbP much as if it were French, with an accent
on a. In 1. 808 the accent is on 0. Lastly, in 1. 858, all three syllables
are fully sounded.
798. ' Three days and a quarter of an hour ' ; i. e. she was to be
allowed only three days, and after that to start off as soon as possible.
Tide (like ii^ in Icelandic) sometimes means an hour. The French
text says ' deynz quatre iours,' within four days.
801. croude, push ; see 11. 296, 299 above ; and note to 1. 299.
813-26. Lines 813-819 are not in the French, and 11. 820-826 are
not at all close to the original. The former stanza, which is due to
Boeth. bk. i. met. 5. 22-30, was doubtless added in the revision.
827-33. The French text only has — 'en esperaunce qe dure
comencement amenera dieu a bon fyn, et qil me purra en la mere
sauuer, qi en mere et en terre est de toute puissaunce.'
835. The beautiful stanzas in 11. 834-868 are all Chaucer's own ; and
of the next stanza, 11. 869-875, the French text gives but the merest
hint.
842. eggeinent, incitement. The same word is used in other
descriptions of the Fall. Thus, in Piers Plowman, B. i. 65, it is said
of Satan that ' Adam and Eue he egged to ille '; and in Allit. Poems,
ed. Morris, B. 241, it is said of Adam that 'thurgh the eggyng oi Eue
he ete of an apple,'
852. refiit, refuge ; see G. 75, and A. B. C. 14.
859. As lat, pray, let. See note to Clerkes Prologue, E. 7.
W. 767-947] THE TALE OF THE MAN OF LAWE. i6i
873. /5«rr//<z^^, provide, make provision. So in Troilus, bk. ii. 1125,
the line 'And of som goodly answere you purchace' means— and
provide yourself with some kind answer, i. e. be ready with a kind reply.
875-84. Much abridged from the French text.
885. tormented, tortured. However, the French text says the
messenger acknowledged his drunkenness freely. Examination by
torture was so common, that Chaucer seems to have regarded the
mention of it as being the most simple way of telling the story.
893. out of drede, without doubt, certainly ; cf. 1. 869. The other
equally common expression out of doutc comes to much the same thing,
because doute in Middle-English has in general the meaning ofy'^^zror
dread, not of hesitation. See Group E. 634, 1 155 ; and Prol. A. 487.
894. pleinly rede, fully read, read at length. In fact, Chaucer judi-
ciously omits the details of the French text, where we read that King
yElla rushed into his mother's room with a drawn sword as she lay
asleep, roused her by crj'ing ' traitress ! ' in a loud voice, and, after
hearing the full confession which she made in the extremity of her terrer,
slew her and cut her to pieces as she lay in bed.
901. _/?t'/^//it, floats. French text— 'le quinte an de cest exil, come
ele i\x flotaiint sur le mere,' &c. Qi. fleet in 1. 463.
905. The name of the castle is certainly not given in the French
text, which merely says it was ' vn chastel dun Admiral de paens,' i. e.
a castle of an admiral of the Pagans.
912. gauren, gaze, stare. See note to Squ. Tale, F. 190,
913. shortly, briefly ; because the poet considerably abridges this
part of the narrative. The steward's name was Thelous.
925. The word Auctor, here written in the margin of E., signifies that
this stanza and the two following ones are additions to the story by the
author. At the same time, 11. 925-931 are really taken from Chaucer's
own translation of Pope Innocent's treatise De Contemptu Mundi ; see
further in the note to B. 99 above. Accordingly, we also find here, in
the margin of E., the following Latin note : — ' O extrema libidinis
turpitudo, que non solum mentem effeminat, set eciam corpus eneruat.
Semper sequ[u]ntur dolor et penitentia post,' &c. This corresponds
to the above treatise, lib. ii. c. 21, headed ' De luxuria.' The last clause
is abbreviated ; the original has : — ' Semper illam procedunt ardor et
petulantia ; semper comitantur fetor et immunditia ; sequuntur semper
dolor et poenitentia.'
932-45. These two stanzas are wholly Chaucer's, plainly written
as a parallel passage to that in 11. 470-504 above.
934. Golias, Goliath. See i Samuel xvii. 25.
940. See the story of Holofernes in the Monkes Tale, B. 3741 ; and
the note. I select the spelling Olofertius here, because it is that of the
majority of the MSS., and agrees with the title De Oloferno in the
Monkes Tale.
947. In 1. 465, Chaucer mentions the * Strait of Marrok,' i. e. Morocco,
though there is no mention of it in the French text ; so here he alludes
* * * ts
i62 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
to it again, but by a different name, viz. 'the mouth of Jubalter and
Septe.' Jubaltar (Ciibialtar) is from the hxd\i\cjahdlii't tarik, i.e. the
mountain of Tarik ; who was the leader of a band of Saracens that
made a descent upon Spain in the eighth century. Septe is Ceuta, on
the opposite coast of Africa.
965. shortly, briefly ; because Chaucer here again abridges the
original, which relates how the Romans burnt the Sultaness, and
slew more than il,ooo of the Saracens, without a single death or even
wound on their own side.
967. senatour. His name was Arsemius of Cappadocia ; his wife's
name was Helen. Accent victorie on the o,
969. as seith the storie, as the history says. The French text relates
this circumstance fully.
971. The French text says that, though Arsemius did not recognise
Constance, she, on her part, recognised him at once, though she did not
reveal it.
981. mmte. Helen, the wife of Arsemius, was daughter of Sallus-
tius, brother of the Emperor Tiberius, and Constance's uncle. Thus
Helen was really Constance's first cousin. Chaucer may have altered it
purposely ; but it looks as if he had glanced at the sentence — ' Cest
heleyne, la nece Constaunce, taunt tendrement ama sa nece,' &c., and
had read it as — ' This Helen . . . loved her 7iiece so tenderly.' In reality,
the word nece means ' cousin ' here, being applied to Helen as well as to
Constance.
982. she, i.e. Helen ; for Constance knew Helen.
991. to receyven,\.^.\.o submit himself to any penance which the
Pope might see fit to impose upon him. Journeys to Rome were
actually made by English kings ; Alfred was sent to Rome as a boy,
and his father, ^thelwulf, also spent a year there, but (as the Chronicle
tells us) he went * mid micelre weor^nesse,' with much pomp.
994. wikked werkes ; especially the murder of his mother, as Trivet
says. See note to 1. 894.
999. Rood him ageyn, rode towards him, rode to meet him ; cf.
1. 391. See Cler. Tale, E. 911, and the note.
1009. Som men wolde seyn, some relate the stoiy by saying. The
expression occurs again in 1. 1086. On the strength of it, Tyrwhitt
concluded that Chaucer here refers to Gower, who tells the story of
Constance in Book ii. of his Confessio Amantis. He observes that
Gower's version of the story includes both the circumstances which
are introduced by this expression. But this is not conclusive, since
we find that Nicholas Trivet also makes mention of the same
circumstances. In the present instance the French text has — 'A ceo
temps de la venuz le Roi a Rome, comensca Moris son diseotisme aan.
Cist estoit apris pjuiement de sa mere Constance, qe, quant il irreit
a lafeste ou son seigmir le senatour^ &c. ; i.e. At this time of the king's
coming to Rome, Maurice began his eighteenth year. He -was secretly
instructed by his mother Co?istance, that^ when he should go to the
LI. 965-1086.] THE TALE OF THE MAN OF LAWE. 163
feast with his lord the senator, &c. See also the note to 1. 1086
below. Besides, Gower may have followed Chaucer.
1014. metes space, time of eating. This circumstance strikingly
resembles the story of young Roland, who, whilst still a child, was
instructed by his mother Bertha to appear before his uncle Charlemagne,
by way of introducing himself. The story is well told in Uhland's
ballad entitled ' Klein Roland,' a translation of which is given at
pp. 335-340 of my ' Ballads and Songs of Uhland.'
'They had but waited a little while,
When Roland returns more bold ;
With hasty step to the king he comes.
And seizes his cup of gold.
"What ho, there! stop! you saucy imp!"
Are the words that loudly ring.
But Roland clutches the beaker still
With eyes fast fixed on the king.
The king at the first looked fierce and dark,
But soon perforce he smiled —
"Thou comest," he said, "into golden halls
As though they were woodlands wild,'" &c.
The result is also similar ; Bertha is reconciled to Charlemagne, much
as Constance is to JEWa.
1034. aught, in any way, at all ; lit. *a whit.'
1035. sighte, sighed. So also pight'e, ' pitched ' ; plighte, ' plucked ' ;
and shrighte, 'shrieked.* It occurs again in Troil. iii. 1080, iv. 714,
1217, V. 1633; and in the Romaunt of the Rose, 1. 1746.
1036. that he viighte, as fast as he could.
1038. ' I ought to suppose, in accordance with reasonable opinion.'
Chaucer tells the story quite in his own way. There is no trace of
11. 1038-1042 in the French, and scarcely any of 11. 1048- 107 1, which
is all in his own excellent strain.
1056. shet, shut, closed. Compare the description of Griselda in
the Clerkes Tale, E. 1058-1061.
1058. Both tivyes and oiune are dissyllabic.
1060. all his halwes, all His saints. Hence the tenn All-hallow-
mas, i. e. All Saints' day.
1061. loisly, certainly, as have, I pray that he may have ; see note
to 1. 859 above. ' I pray He may so surely have mercy on my soul, as
that I am as innocent of your suffering as Maurice my son is like you
in the face.'
1078. After this line, the French text tells us that King yElla pre-
sented himself before Pope Pelagius, who absolved him for the death
of his mother. Pelagius II. was pope in 578-90.
1086. Here again, Tyrwhitt supposes Chaucer to follow Gower.
But, in fact, Chaucer and Gower both consulted Trivet, who says
M 2
i64 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
here — ' Constaunce charga son fitz Morice del messager [or message]
.... Et puis, quant Morice estoit deuaunt Icmpereur venuz, oue la
compaignic honurable, et auoit son message fest de part le Roi son
pere,' &c. ; i. e. ' Constance charged her son Maurice with the message
.... and then, when Maurice was come before the emperor, with the
honourable company, and had done his message on behalf of the king
his father,' &c. Or, as before, Cower may have copied Chaucer.
1090. As/te; used much as we should now use 'as one." It refers
to the Emperor, of course.
1091. ^^«/c', elliptical for 'as that he would send.' Tyrwhitt reads
se;id; but it is best to leave an expression like this as it stands in the
MSS. It was probably a colloquial idiom; and, in the next line, we
have weiite. Observe ^hat sente is in the subjunctive mood, and is
equivalent to ' he would send.'
1107. Chaucer so frequently varies the length and accent of a proper
name that there is no objection to the supposition that we are here to
read Custanc'e in three syllables, with an accent on the first syllable.
In exactly the same way, we find Grisildis in three syllables (E. 948),
though in most other passages it is Grisild. We have had Cusiance,
accented on the first syllable, several times ; see 11. 438, 556, 566, 576,
&c.; also Cusidnce, three syllables, 11. 184, 274, 319, 612, &.c. Tyrwhitt
inserts a second your before Cuslafice, but without authority.
1109. // am /; it is I. It is the usual idiom. So in the A.S.
version of St. John vi. 20, we find ' ic hyt eom,' i. e. I it am, and in
a Dutch New Testament, a.d. 1700, I find 'Ick ben 't,' i.e. I am it.
The Moeso-Gothic version omits it, having simply 'Ik im'; so does
Wyclifs, which has ' I am.' Tyndale, a.d. 1526, has 'it ys I.'
1113. iho7tketh, pronounced ihonk'th; so also eyVth, B. 1 171,
Abyd'th, B. 1 175. So also tak'th, I. 1142 below, of, for. So in
Chaucer's Balade of Truth, 1. 19, we have 'thank God 0/ al' i.e. for
all things. See my notes to Chaucer's Minor Poems, vol. i. p. 552.
1123. The French text tells us that he was named Maurice of Cap-
padocia, and was also known, in Latin, as Mauritius Christianissitnus
Iinperator. Trivet tells us no more about him, except that he accounts
for the title 'of Cappadocia' by saying that Arsemius (the senator who
found Constance and Maurice and took care of them) was a Cappado-
cian. Gibbon says — 'The Emperor Maurice derived his origin from
ancient Rome ; but his immediate parents were settled at Arabissus
in Cappadocia, and their singular felicity preserved them alive to
behold and partake the fortune of their august son Maurice
ascended the throne at the mature age of 43 years ; and he reigned
above 20 years over the east and over himself.' — Decline and Fall of
the Roman Empire, cap. xlv. He was murdered, with all his seven
children, by his successor, Phocas the Usurper; Nov. 27, a.d. 600.
His accession was in a.d. 582.
1127. The statement ' I here it not in minde,' i.e. I do not remem-
ber it, may be taken to mean that Chaucer could find nothing about
LI.1090-1169.] THE SHIPMAN'S PROLOGUE. 165
Maurice in his French text beyond the epithet Christianissitnus,
which he has skilfully expanded into 1. 1123. He vaguely refers us
to 'olde Romayn gestes,' that is, to lives of the Roman emperors, for
he can hardly mean the Gesta Romanorum in this instance. Gibbon
refers us to Evagrius, lib. v. and lib. vi. ; Theophylact Simocatta ;
Theophanes, Zonaras, and Cedrenus.
1132. In the margin of IMSS. E. Hn. Cp. Pt. is written — 'A mane
usque ad vesperam mutabitur tempus. Tenent tympanum et gaudent
ad sonum organi,' &c. See the next note.
1135. In the margin of MSS. E. Hn. Cp. Pt. is written— *Quis
vnquam vnicam diem totam duxit in sua dilectione \_vel dclectatione]
iocundam ? quern in aliqua parte diei reatus consciencie, vel impetus
Ire, vel motus concupiscencie non turbauerit? quem liuor Inuidie,
vel Ardor Auaricie, vel tumor superbie non vexauerit.'' quem aliqua
iactura vel offensa, vel passio non commouerit,' &c. Cp. Pt. insert
inde before tioti turbauerit. This corresponds to nothing in the
French text, but it is quoted from Pope Innocent's treatise, De
Contemptu Mundi, lib. i. c. 22 ; see note to B. 99 above. The extract
in the note to 1. 11 32 occurs in the same chapter, but both clauses in it
are borrowed; the former from Ecclus. xviii. 26, the latter from Job,
xxi. 12.
1143. / gesse, I suppose. Chaucer somewhat alters the story.
Trivet says that .Ella died at the end of nine months after this.
Half-a-year after, Constance repairs to Rome. Thirteen days after
her arrival, her father Tiberius dies. A year later, Constance herself
dies, on St. Clement's day (Nov. 23), a.d. 584, and is buried at Rome,
near her father, in St. Peter's Church. The date 584, here given by
Trivet, should rather be 583 ; the death of Tiberius took place on
Aug. 14, 582 ; see Gibbon.
The Shipman's Prologue.
1165. The host here refers to the Man of Lawes Tale, which had just
been told, and uses the expression ' thrifty tale ' with reference to the
same expression above, B. 46. ]Most MSS. separate this end-link
widely from the Tale, but MS. HI. and MS. Arch. Sold. B. 14 have it
in the right place. See vol. ill. pp. 417-9.
for the nones, for the nonce, for the occasion ; see note to the Pro-
logue, A. 379. The A. S. dnes ( = once) is an adverb with a genitive
case-ending ; and, being an adverb, becomes indeclinable, and can
accordingly be used as a dative case after the preposition _/^r, which
properly governs the dative.
1166. The Host here turns to the Parson (see Prol. A. 477), and
adjures him to tell a tale, according to the agreement.
1167. yore, put for of yore, formerly, already. — M.
1169. Can inocJie good, know (or are acquainted with) much good;
i. e. with many good things, Cf. B. 47.
i66 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
1170. Bencdiciie, bless ye ; i. c. bless ye the Lord ; the first word of
the Song of the Three Children, and a more suitable exclamation than
most of those in common use at the time. In the Knightcs Talc,
A. 1785, where Theseus \^ pondering o\^x the strange event he had just
witnessed, the word is pronounced itifull, as five syllables. But in A.
2115, it is pronounced, as here, as a mere trisyllable. The syllables to
be dropped are the second and third, so that we must sa.y ben'ci/e. This
is verified by a passage in the Tovvnley Mysteries, p. 85, where it is
actually spelt bensfe, and reduced to two syllables only. Cf. notes to
B. 1974, and Troil. i. 780.
1171. man; dat. case after eylcth. Swearing is alluded to as
a prevalent vice amongst Englishmen in Robert of Brunne, in the
Persones Tale of Chaucer, and elsewhere. — M.
1172. O lankin, &c. ; ' O Johnny, you are there, are you ? ' That is,
'so it is you whom I hear, is it, Mr. Johnny ?' A derisive interruption.
It was common to call a priest Sir John, by way of mild derision ; see
Monkes Prol. (B. 31 19) and Nonne Prestes Prol. (B. 4000). The Host
carries the derision a little further by using the diminutive form. See
note to B. 4000.
1173. a loller, a term of reproach, equivalent to a canting fellow.
Tyrwhitt aptly cites a passage from a treatise of the period, referring to
the Harleian Catalogue, no. 1666 : — 'Now in Engelond it is a comun
protectioun ayens persecutioun, if a man is customable to swere nedeles
and fals and unavised, by the bones, nailes, and sides, and other
membres of Christ. And to absteyne fro othes nedeles and unleful,
and repreve sinne by way of charite, is mater and cause now, why
Prelates and sum Lordes sclaundren men, and clepen hem Lol/ardeSy
Eretikes,' &c.
The reader will not clearly understand this word till he distinguishes
between the Latin loUardus and the English loller, two words of
different origin which w&re. purposely confounded in the time of Wyclif.
The Latin LoUardus had been in use before Wyclif. Ducange quotes
from Johannes Hocsemius, who says, under the date 1309 — ' Eodem
anno quidam hypocritae gyrovagi, qui Lollardi, sive Deum laudantes,
vocabantur, per Hannoniam et Brabantiam quasdam mulieres nobiles
deceperunt.' He adds that Trithemius says in his Chronicle, under
the year 13 15 — 'ita appellatos a Gualtero Lolhard, Germano quodam.'
Kilian, in his Dictionary of Mid. Dutch, says — ^ Lollaerd, mussitator,
mussitabundus'; i. e. a mumbler of prayers. This gives two etymolo-
gies for LoUardus. Being thus already in use as a term of reproach, it
was applied to the followers of Wyclif, as we learn from Thomas Wal-
singham, who says, under the year 1377 — 'Hi uocabantur a uulgo
LoUardi, incedentes nudis pedibus'; and again — '■ I^oUardi sequaces
Joannis Wiclif.' But the Old English loUer (from the verb to loU) meant
simply a lounger, an idle vagabond, as is abundantly clear from a notable
passage in Piers the Plowman, C-text (ed. Skeat), x. 188-218 ; where
William tells us plainly —
LI. 1170-1189.] THE SIIIPMAN'S PROLOGUE. 167
* Now kyndeliche, by crist • be|) suche callyd lolletrs,
As by englisch of oure eldres * of olde menne techynge.
He that lollep is lame ' o))er his leg out of ioynte,' &;c.
Here were already two ("if not three) words confused, but this was not
all. By a bad pun, the Latin !o/iu?n, tares, was connected with Lollard,
so that we find in Political Poems, i. 232, the following —
'LoUardi sunt zizania,
Spinae, uepres, ac lollia,
Quae uastant hortum uineae.'
This obviously led to allusions to the Parable of the Tares, and fully
accounts for the punning allusion to cockle, i.e. tares, in 1. 1 183.
Mr. Jephson observes that loliiim is used in the Vulgate Version, Matt,
xii. 25 ; but this is a mistake, as the word there used is zizania.
Gower, Prol. to Conf. Amant., ed. Pauli, i, 15, speaks of —
'This newe secte of lollardic,
And also many an heresie.'
Also in book v., id. ii. 187, —
'Be war that thou be nought oppressed
With anticristes loUardie^ <S:c.
See Mosheim, Eccl. Hist, iii- 355-358 ; Wordsworth's Eccl. Biography,
i. 331, note.
1180. * He shall not give us any commentary on a gospel.' To glose
is to comment upon, with occasional free introduction of irrelevant
matter. The gospel is the text, or portion of the Gospel commented
upon.
1181. * We all agree in the one fundamental article of faith '; by which
he insinuates — 'and let that suffice; we want no theological subtilties
discussed here.'
1183. spritigen, scatter, sprink-\Q. The pt. t. is spreytide or spreynte ;
the pp. spreynd occurs in B. 422, 1830. — Vl. Gower, Conf. Amantis,
bk. v., ed» Pauli, ii. 190, speaks oi lollardie
'Which now is come for to dwelle.
To sowe cockel with the corne.'
1185. body, i. e. self Cf ly/=^ person, in P. Plowman, B. iii. 292. — M.
1186. See B. 3984, which suggests that there is a play upon words
here. The Shipman will make his horse's bells ring loudly enough to
awake them all ; or he will ring so merry a peal, as to rouse them like
a church bell that awakes a sleeper.
1189. It is plain that the unmeaning words p/iislyas and p/iillyas, as
in the MSS., must be corruptions of some difficult form. I think that
form is certainly ^/^/mvj, with reference to the Physics of Aristotle, here
conjoined with 'philosophy ' and ' law' in order to include the chief forms
of medieval learning. Aristotle was only known, in Chaucer's time, in
Latin translations, and Physices Liber would be a possible title for
such a translation. Lewis and Short's Lat. Diet, gives ^ physica, gen.
i68 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [GroapB.
physicae, and phystce, gen. physices^ f., = (^vo-ikij, natural science, natural
philosophy, physics, Cicero, Acaclem. I. 7. 25 ; id. De Finibus, 3. 2i.
72 ; 3. 22. 73.' Magister Artium et Physices was the name of
a degree ; see Longfellow's Golden Legend, § vi.
That Chaucer should use the g&n. p/tysices alone, is just in his usual
manner ; cf. ludtctim, B. 3236 ; Eneidos, B. 4549 ; Metaviorphoseos,
B. 93. Tyrwhitt's reading ofphysike gives the same sense.
The Shipmannes Tale.
This Tale agrees rather closely with one in Boccaccio's Decamerone,
Day viii. nov. i. See further in vol. iii. p. 420.
1191. Seini Doiys, Saint Denis, in the environs of Paris. Cf. 11.
1247, 1249, and note to 1341.
1202. us, i.e. us women. This is clear proof that some of the
opening lines of this Tale were not originally intended for the Shipman,
but for the Wife of Bath, as she is the only lady in the company to
whom they would be suitable. We may remember that Chaucer
originally meant to make each pilgrim tell four Tales ; so there is
nothing surprising in the fact that he once thought of giving this to the
Wife. This passage is parallel to D, 337-339.
1209. perilous. Cf. D. 339 : ' it is peril of our chastitee.'
1228. Referring to the common proverb— 'As fain as a fowl [bird]
of a fair day '; cf. 1. 1 241 below, A. 2437, G. 1342.
12B3. Daim, Dan, for Lat. Dominus^ corresponding to E. sir, as in
' Sir John,' a common title for a priest. Cf. B. 31 19.
1244. Shoop him, lit. shaped himself, set about, got ready. Cf.
P. Plowman, C. i. 2, xiv. 247, and the notes.
1245. Brugges, Bruges ; which, as Wright remarks, was * the grand
central mart of European commerce in the middle ages.' Cf. P. Plow-
man, C. vii. 278, and the note.
1256. graunges, granges; cf. notes to A. 3668, and A. 166.
1260. Malvesye, Malmsey; so named from Malvasia,no\v Napoli
di Malvasia, a town on the E. coast of Lacedaemonia in the Morea.
See note in the Babees Book, ed. Furnivall, p. 206, where Malvasia
is explained as the Ital. corruption of Moiievivasia, from Gk. }i.6vr]
e'fi^acria, single entrance ; with reference to its position.
. 1261. Verfiage. In the Babees Book, ed. Furnivall, p. 203, vernage
is said to be a red wine, bright^ sweet, and somewhat rough, from
Tuscany and Genoa, and other parts of Italy. The Ital. name is
veniaccia, lit. the name of a thick-skinned grape. The information in
this note and the preceding one is drawn from Henderson's History
of Ancient and Modern Wines, 1824 : which see.
1262. volatyl, wild fowl, game ; here used as a collective plural, to
represent Lat. uolatilia. Littr^ quotes : * Tant ot les volatiles chieres ' ;
Roman de la Rose, 20365. Wyclif has al volatile to translate cundum
LI.II9I-I298.] THE SHIPMANNES TALE. 169
uolatile, Gen. vii. 14 ; also my volatilis in Matt. xxii. 4, where the
Vulgate has altilia. Cf. F. volaille.
1278. passed pryine, past 9 A. M. See notes to A. 3906, F. y^ ; and
cf. B. 1396.
1281. his ihiftges, the things he had to say; cf. F. yZ. It 'means
the divine office in the Breviarj', i.e. the psalms and lessons from
scripture which, being absent from the convent, he was bound to say
privately'; Bell, curteis/y, reverently. See note to 1. 1321 below.
1287. under the yerde, still subject to the discipline of the rod. As
girls were married at a very early age, this should mean ' still quite
a child.' Cf. as hir list in 1. 12S6. And see E. 22. See TElfric's
Colloquy (Wright's V'ocab. ed. Wiilker, p. 102), where the boy says he
is still sub uirga, on which the A. S. gloss is under gyrda. F. sous la
verge (Littre).
1292. appalled., enfeebled, languid ; see F. 365.
1293. ^a;r, lie motionless. This is the original sense of the word,
as in E. Friesic bedaren. So also Low G. bedaren, to be still and
quiet ; as in dat weer bedaart, the weather becomes settled ; eeti
bedaart niafm, a man who has lost the fire of youth. Du. bedaren, to
compose, to calm. The rather common IVL E. phrase to droupe and
dare means ' to sink down and lie quiet,' like a hunted animal in
hiding ; hence came the secondaiy sense ' to lurk ' or * lie close,' as
in the Prompt. Parv. Cotgrave has F. blotir, ' to squat, skowke, or lie
close to the ground, like a daring lark or affrighted foul.' Hence also
a third sense, ' to peer round,' as a lurking creature that looks out
for possible danger. The word is common in ^L E., and in many
passages the sense 'to lie still ' suits better than ' lurk,' as it is usually
explained.
1295. II ''ere, 'which might be,' 'which should happen to be'; the
relative is understood, forstraught, distracted. Such is evidently
the sense ; but the word occurs nowhere else, and is incorrect. As
far as I can make it out, Chaucer has coined this word incorrectly.
The right word is destrat (vol. ii. p. 67, 1. i), from O. F. destrait,
pp. of desiraire, to tear asunder (as by horses), to torment, fatigue
(Godefroy). Next, he turned it (i) xnio forstrait, pp. oi forsiraire
{fortraire in Cotgrave), to purloin; and (2) \x\io forstratight, as if it
were the pp. of an A. S. */or-streccan, to stretch exceedingly. Thus,
he has made one change by altering the prefix, and another by
misdividing the word and substituting English for French. A similar
mistake is seen in the absurd form distraught, used for ' distracted,'
though it is, formally, equivalent to dis-straught, as if made up of the
prefix dis- and the pp. of strecchen, to stretch. An early instance
occurs in Lydgate's Minor Poems, ed. Halliwell, p. 206, where we find
* Distrauhte in thouhte,' i.e. distracted in thought, mad. There is
much confusion between the E. ^r&fi^ts for-, fore-, and the Y.fors-, for-.
Chaucer has stratighte (correctly), as the pt. t. of strecchen, in A. 2916.
1298. Accent laboured ow the second syllable.
I70 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
1303. ' God knows all'; implying, ' I can contradict you, if I choose
to speak.'
1321. port-hors, ior porte-hors, lit. 'carry-abroad,' the F. equivalent
of Lat. porti/on'tun, a breviary. Also spelt portous, portcss, Sec.
*The Porious, or Breviary, contained whatever was to be said by
all beneficed clerks, and those in holy orders, either in choir, or
privately by themselves, as they recited their daily canonical hours ;
no musical notation was put into these books.' — Rock, Church of our
Fathers, v. iii, pt. 2, p. 212. Dan John had just been saying *his
things' out of it (1. 1281). The music was omitted to save space.
See P. Plowman, B. xv. 122, and my note on the line.
1327. /£»;- io goon, i.e. even though going to hell were the penalty of
my keeping secret what you tell me.
1329- ' This I do, not for kinship, but out of true love.'
1335. a legende, a story of martyrdom, like that of a saint's life.
1338. St. Martin of Tours, whose day is Nov. 11.
1341. St. Denis of France, St. Dionysius, bishop of Paris, martyred
A. D. 272, whose day is Oct. 9. Near his place of martyrdom was
built a chapel, which was first succeeded by a church, and then by the
famous abbey of St. Denis, in which King Dagobert and his successors
were interred. The French adopted St. Denis as their patron saint ;
see Chambers, Book of Days, ii. 427 ; Alban Butler, Lives of the
Saints, Oct. 9.
1353. sit, is becoming, befits ; see E. 460, 1277.
1384. Geniloun, Genilon or Ganelon, the traitor who betrayed
Charlemagne's army at Roncesvalles. For this deed he was torn to
death by wild horses, according to the romance-writers. See La
Chanson de Roland, 1. 3735. Cf. note to B. 3579, and Book of the
Duchesse, 1 121, and my note upon it.
1396. chilindre, a kind of portable sun-dial, lit. cylinder. A thirteenth-
century Latin treatise on the use of the chilmdre was edited by
Mr. E. Brock for the Chaucer Society, and I here copy his clear
description of the instrument. ' The Chilindre {cylindrus) or cylinder
is one of the manifold forms of the sun-dial, very simple in its con-
struction, but rude and inaccurate as a time-shower. According to
the following treatise, it consists of a wooden cylinder, with a central
bore from top to bottom, and with a hollow space in the top, into which
a moveable rotary lid with a little knob at the top is fitted. This lid
is also bored in the centre, and a string passed through the whole
instrument. Upon this string the chilindre hangs [perpendicularly]
when in use. The style or gnomon works on a pin fixed in the lid.
When the instrument is in use, the style projects at a right angle to the
surface of the cylindrical body, through a notch in the side of the
lid, but can, at pleasure, be turned down and slipt into the central bore,
which is made a little wider at the top to receive it. The body of the
chilmdre is marked with a table of the points of the shadow, a table
of degrees for finding the sun's altitude, and spaces corresponding to
LI. 1303-404.1 THE SHIPMANNES TALE. 171
the months of the year and the signs of the zodiac. Across these spaces
are drawn six oblique hour-lines.
' To ascertain the time of day by the chilindre^ consider what month
it is, and turn the lid round till the style stands directly over the
corresponding part of the chilindre ; then hold up the instrument by
the string so that the style points towards the sun, or in other words, so
that the shadow of the style falls perpendicularly, and the hour will be
shewn by the lowest line reached by the shadow.'
Another treatise of the same character was subsequently edited by
Mr. Brock for the same Society. It is entitled 'Practica Chilindri ; or
the Working of the Cylinder ; by John Hovedcn.'
There is a curious reference to the same instrument in the follow-
ing passage from Horman's Vulgaria, leaf 338, back: — 'There be
iomeyringis [day-circles, dials] and instrume«t/i' lyke an ha//g>'^nge
pyler with a tu«ge lyllyng [lolling] out, to knowe what tyme of the day.'
In Wright's Vocabularies, ed. Wiilkcr, 572. 22, we find : ' Chiliiidnis,
anglice a leuel ; uel est instrttmenttnn quo hore notantur, anglice
a chylaundre.' It thus appears that the reading kalendar, in the old
editions, is due to a mistake.
The most interesting comment on this passage is afforded by the
opening lines of the Prologue to Part II. of Lydgate's Siege of Thebes^
where Lydgate is clearly thinking of Chaucer's words. Here also the
black-letter edition of 1561 has Kalendar, but the reading of MS.
Arundel 119 (leaf 18) is more correct, as follows : —
'Passed the throp of Bowton on the Ble,
By my chilyndte I gan anon to se,
Thorgh the Sonne, that ful cler gan shyne.
Of the clok[ke] that it drogh to nyne.'
pryme of day, 9 A.M., in the present passage ; see above, and note the
preparations for dinner in 11. 1399-1401 ; the dinner-hour being 10 A.M.
See also note to A. 3906. ' Our forefathers dined at an hour at which
we think it fashionable to breakfast ; ten 0^ clock was the time estab-
lished by ancient usage for the principal meal'; Our Eng. Home,
p. 33. In earlier times it was tiine o'clock; see Wright, Hist, of
Domestic Manners, p. 155.
1399. ' As cheery as a magpie.'
1404. Qui la : who's there. All the MSS. agree in thus cutting down
the expression qui est la to two words ; and this abbreviation is
emphasised by the English gloss 'Who ther ' in E. and Hn. ; Cm. has
Who there, without any French. It is clear, too, that the line is imper-
fect at the caesura, thus : —
Qui la ? I quod he. | — Pe | ter it [ am I il
This medial pause is probably intentional, to mark the difference
between the speakers. Ed. 1532 (which Tyrwhitt follows) has Qui est
la, in order to fill out the line. Wright has the same ; and (as usual)
suppresses the fact that the word est is not in the MS. which he follows
* with literal accuracy.'
172 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Groups.
Peter ! by Saint Peter ! a too common exclamation, shewing that even
women used to swear. It occurs again in D. 446, 1332, and Hous of
Fame, 1034, 2000.
1412. eloige, pronounced (eel^ngga), in a dreary, tedious, lonely
manner ; drearily. From A. S. celenge, lengthy, protracted ; a derivative
from lang, long ; see P. Plowman, C. i. 204, and the note. In Pegge's
Kcnticisms (E. D. S. Gloss. C. 3), we have : ' Ellinge [pronounced
ellinj], adj. solitary, lonely, melancholy, farre from neighbours. See
Ray.' It is also still in use in Sussex. The usual derivation from A.S.
ellcnde, foreign, is incorrect ; but it seems to have been confused with
this word, whence the sense of ' strange, foreign,' was imported
into it. See Alange in the New E. Dictionary.
1413. go ive dyne, let us go and dine ; as in P. Plowman, C. i.
227.
1417. Seint Yve. 'St. Ivia, or Ivo,' says Alban Butler, 'was
a Persian bishop, who preached in England in the seventh century.'
He died at St. Ive's in Huntingdonshire. A church was also built in
his honour at St. Ive's in Cornwall. His day is April 25. This line is
repeated in D. 1943. Cf. A. 4264.
1421. dryve forth, spend our time in; cf. P. Plowman, C. i. 225.
\^2Z. pleye, 'take some relaxation by going on a pilgrimage';
clearly shewing the chief object of pilgrimages. Cf. D. 557. The
line also indicates that it was a practice, when men could no longer
make a show in the world, to go on a pilgrimage, or ' go out of the
way ' somewhere, to avoid creditors.
1436. houshold. So in E. Hn. Cm. ; Cp. Pt. Ln. HI. T. have
housbo7idey housbond, but the application of this word to a housewife is
not happy.
1441. messe, mass ; it seems to have been said, on this occasion,
about 9.30 A.M. It did not take long ; cf. 1. 14 1 3.
1445. At-afier, soon after. This curious form is still in use ; see
the Cleveland Glossary. So in the Whitby Glossary: — 'All things
in order ; ploughing first, sowing at-after^ Cf. ' at-after supper,'
Rich. III. iv. 3. 31 ; and see At, § 40, in the New E. Diet. We find
also at-under sindi at-before. It occurs again in F. 1219.
1466. a myle-wey, even by twenty minutes (the time taken to walk
a mile).
1470. Graiint mercy of, many thanks for.
1476. * God defend (forbid) that ye should spare.'
1484. took, handed over, delivered ; see note to P. Plowman, C. iv. 47.
And see 1. 1594 below.
1496. let, leadeth, leads ; note the various readings. Cf. ' Thet is
the peth of pouerte huerby let the holy gost tho thet,' &:c. ; i.e. that is
the path of poverty whereby the Holy Ghost leads those that, &c. — •
Ayenbite of Inwyt, p. 185 ; and so again in the same, p. 115, 1. 9, and
p. 51, 1. 13. In P. Plowman, B. iii. 157, the Rawlinson MS. has /^/
instead of ledeth.
LI. I4I2-628.1 THE PRIORESS'S PROLOGUE. 173
1499. crowne ; alluding to the priestly tonsure. See note to
P. Plowman, C. i. 86.
1506. For bolt-ttpright^ see note to A. 4194. This line is defective
in the first foot ; read — Hav' | hir in | his, &c. Tyrwhitt reads Haven,
but admits, in the notes, that the final n came out of his own head.
1515. the faire, the fair at Bruges. On fairs, see the note to
P. Plowman, C. vii. 211.
1519. chevisaunce, di contract for borrowing money on his credit;
see A. 282, and note to P. Plowman, B. v. 249. For the purpose of
making such a contract, a proportional sum had to be paid down in
ready money ; see note to 1. 1524.
1524. ' A certain (number ofj franks ; and some (franks) he took
with him.' The latter sum refers to the money he had to pay down in
order to get the chevisance made. See note to Wyclif's Works, ed.
Matthew, p. 528. And see 1. 1558.
1542. Here sheeld is used as a plural, by analogy with pund, i.e.
pounds, A sheeld vf3iS a French /cit, or crown ; see A. 278.
1557. Lwnbardes, Lombards, the great money-lenders and bankers
of the middle ages. Cf. ' Lumbardes of Lukes, that lyuen by lone as
lewes,' Lombards from Lucca, that live by lending, as Jews do ;
P. Plowman, C. v. 194. Owing to the accent, LtnnharcT s is dissyllabic.
1558. bond \% misprinted hand in Wright's edition; MS. HI. has
bond, correctly, though the note in Bell says otherwise.
1592. Marie, by St. Mary ; the familiar ' Marry ! ' as used by our
dramatists.
Ih'db. yvel thedojn, ill success. Cf. 'Now, sere, evyl thedom com
to thi snoute'; Co\-entry Mysteries, p. 139. This is printed by
Halliwell in the form — 'Now, sere evyl Thedom, com to thi snoute,'
i.e. ' now, sir 111 Success, come to thy snout ' ; but how a man can come
to his own nose, we are not told.
1599. bele chere, fair entertainment, hospitality. Beie==mod.. F.
belle.
1606. ' Score it upon my tally,' make a note of it. See A. 570, and
note to P. Plowman, C. v. 61.
1613. to wedde, as a pledge (common). Cf. A. 12 18.
1621. large, liberal ; hence E. largesse, liberality.
The Prioress's Prologue.
1625. corpus domi7ius ; of course for corpus domini, the Lord's
body. But it is unnecessary to correct the Host's Latin,
1626. ' Now long mayest thou sail along the coast ! '
1627. marifieer, Fr. niarinier; we now use the ending -er', but
modem words of French origin shew their lateness by the accent on
the last syllable, as engineer. — M. The Fr. piotinier is pioner in
Shakespeare, but is Xi<y\v pioneer.
1628. ' God give this monk a thousand cart-loads of bad years ! '
174 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
He alludes to the deceitful monk described in the Shipman's Tale.
A last is a \try heavy load. In a Statute of 31 Edw. I. a weight is
declared to be 14 stone ; 2 weights of wool are to make a sack ; and
12 sacks a last. This makes a last of wool to be 336 stone, or 42 cwt.
But the dictionaries shew that the weight was very variable, according
to the substance weighed. The word means simply a heavy burden,
from A. S. hlast, a burden, connected with hladan, to load ; so that
last and load are alike in sense. Laste, in the sense of heavy
weight, occurs in Richard the Redeles, ed. Skeat, iv. 74. Quad is the
Old English equivalent of the Dutch kwaad, bad, a word in very
common use. In O. E., \e g»ed means the evil one, the devil; P. PI.
B. xiv. 189. Cf. note to A. 4357. The omission of the word 0/ before
guad may be illustrated by the expression ' four score years,' i. e. ^years.
1630. 'The monk put an ape in the man's hood, and in his wife's
too.' We should now say, he made him look like an ape. The con-
tents of the hood would be, properly, the man's head and face ; but
neighbours seemed to see peeping from it an ape rather than a man.
It is a way of saying that he made a dupe of him. In the Milleres
Tale (A. 3389), a girl is said to have made her lover an ape, i.e.
a dupe ; an expression which recurs in the Chanones Yemannes Tale,
G. 1313. Spenser probably borrowed the expression from this very
passage ; it occurs in his Faerie Queene, iii. 9. 31 : —
' Thus was the ape,
By their faire handling, ptit into Malbeccoes capeJ
1632. * Never entertain monks any more.'
1637. See the description of the Prioress in the Prologue, A. 118.
The Prioresses Tale.
For general remarks upon this Tale, see vol, iii. p. 421.
1643. Cf. Ps. viii. 1-2. The Vulgate version has — ' Domine
Dominus noster, quam admirabile est nomen tuum in uniuersa terra !
Quoniam eleuata est magnificentia tua super caelos ! Ex ore infantium
et lactentium perfecisti laudem,' &c.
1650. can or may, know how to, or have ability to do.
1651. The * white lily ' was the token of Mary's perpetual virginity.
See this explained at length in Rock, Church of our Fathers, iii. 245.
1655. ' For she herself is honour, and, next after her Son, the root of
bounty, and the help (or profit) of souls.'
1658. Cf. Chaucer's A. B. C, or Hymn to the Virgin, (Minor Poems,
vol. i. p. 266), where we find under the heading M —
' Moises, that saugh the bush with flaumes rede
Brenninge, of which ther never a stikke brende,
Was signe of thyn unwemmed maidenhede ;
Thou art the bush, on which ther gan descende
The Holy Cost, the which that Moises wende
Had been a-fyr.'
LI. 1630-79.1 THE PRIORESSES TALE.
/3
So also in st. 2 of an Alliterative Hymn in Warton, Hist. Eng. Poetry,
ed. Hazlitt, ii. 284.
1659. 'That, through thy humility, didst draw down from the Deity
the Spirit that alighted in thee.'
1660. thalighte = thee alighte, the two words being run into one.
Such agglutination is more common when the def. art. occurs, or with
the word to; cf. Texpotinde7i in B. 1716.
1661. lighte may mean either (i) cheered, lightened; or (2) illu-
minated. Tyrwhitt and Richardson both take the latter view ; but
the following passage, in which hertes occurs, makes the former the
more probable : —
' But nathelees, it was so fair a sighte
That it made alle hir hertes for to lighte*
Sq. Ta. ; F. 395.
1664. Partly imitated from Dante, Paradiso, xxxiii. 16 : —
* La tua benignith. non pur soccorre
A chi dimanda, ma molte fiate
Liberamente al dimandar precorre.
In te misericordia, in te pietate,
In te magnificenza, in te s'aduna
Ouantunque in creatura 6 di bontate.
1668. goost biforn, goest before, dost anticipate, of, by. The
eighth stanza of the Seconde Nonnes Tale (G. 50-56) closely resembles
11. 1664-70; being imitated from the same passage in Dante.
1677. Gydeth, guide ye. The plural number is used, as a token
of respect, in addressing superiors. By a careful analysis of the
words thou and ye in the Romance of William of Palerne, I de-
duced the following results, which are generally true in Mid. English.
* Thou is the language of a lord to a servant, of an equal to an
equal, and expresses also companionship, love, permission, defiance,
scorn, threatening : whilst j/^ is the language of a servant to a lord, and
of compliment, and further expresses honour, submission, or entreaty.
Thotc is used with singular verbs, and the possessive pronoun thine;
but ye requires plural verbs, and the possessive your.' — Pref. to
Will, of Palerne, ed. Skeat, p. xlii. Cf. Abbott's Shakespearian
Grammar, sect. 231.
1678. Asie, Asia ; probably used, as Tyrwhitt suggests, in the
sense of Asia Minor, as in the Acts of the Apostles.
1679. a lewerye, a Jewry, i.e. a Jews' quarter. In many towns
there was formerly a Jews' quarter, distinguished by a special name.
There is still an Old Jewry in London. In John vii. I the word
is used as equivalent to Judea, as also in other passages in the
Bible and in Shakesp. Rich. II, ii. i. 55. Chaucer (House of Fame,
1435) says of Josephus —
'And bar upon his shuldres hye
The fame up of the Je-ujerye.'
176 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
Thackeray uses the word with an odd effect in his Ballad of ' The
White Squall.' See also note to B. 1749.
1G81. vilanye. So the six MSS. ; 111. has felottyc, wrongly. In
the margin of the Ellesmere MS. is written 'turpe lucrum,' i.e. vile
gain, which is evidently the sense intended by lucre of vilanye,
here put for -jillanoKS lucre or filthy lucre, by poetical freedom
of diction. See Chaucer's use of Tila7iye in the Prologue, A. 70
and A. 726.
1684. free, unobstructed. People could ride and walk through,
there being no barriers against horses, and no termination in a cul
de sac. Cf. Troilus, ii, 616-8.
1687. Children an heep, a heap or great number of children. Of
is omitted before children as it is before quad y ere in B. 1628. For
hcep, see Prologue, A. 575.
1689. ?naner doctrine, kind of learning, i. e. reading and singing,
as explained below. Here again ^is omitted, as is usual in M.E.
after the word jnaner; as — ' In another w/a«^rname,' Rob. ofGlouc.
vol. i. p. 147 ; 'with somme vianere crafte,' P. Plowman, B. v. 25 : *no
maner wight,' Ch. Prol. A. 71 ; &c. See Matzner, Englische Gram-
matik, ii. 2. 313. men used, people used ; equivalent to was used. Note
this use of men in the same sense as the French on, or German tnan.
This is an excellent instance, as the poet does not refer to men
at all, but to childrett. Moreover, 7nen (spelt 7ne in note to B.
1702) is an attenuated form of the sing, man, and not the usual
plural.
1693. clergeon, not 'a young clerk' merely, as Tyrwhitt says, but
a happily chosen word implying that he was a chorister as well.
Ducange gives — ' Clergonus, junior clericus, vel puer choralis ; jeune
clerc, petit clerc ou enfant de choeur'; see Migne's edition. And
Cotgrave has — ' Clergeon, a singing man, or Ouirester in a Queer
[choir].' It means therefore 'a chorister-boy.' Cf. Span, clerizon,
a chorister, singing-boy; see New E. Diet.
1694. That, as for whom. A London street-boy would say —
'■which he was used to go to school.' That . . . /«'j- = whose.
1695. wher-as, where that, where. So in Shakespeare, 2 Hen. VI.
i. 2. 58 ; Spenser, F. O. i. 4. 38. See Abbott's Shakesp. Grammar,
sect. 135. thimage, the image ; alluding to an image of the Virgin
placed by the wayside, as is so commonly seen on the continent.
1698. Ave Marie; so in Spenser, F. Q. i. i. 35. The words
were — * Aue Maria, gratia plena ; Dominus tecum ; benedicta tu in
mulieribus, et benedictus fructus uentris tui. Amen.' See the
English version in Specimens of Early English, ed. Morris and
Skeat, p. 106. It was made up from Luke i. 28 and i. 42. Some-
times the word Jesus was added after tui, and, at a later period,
an additional clause — ' Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis pecca-
toribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.' See Rock, Church
of our Fathers, iii. 315 ; and iii. pt. 2, 134.
LI. I68I-708.] THE PRIORESSES TALE. 177
1702. ' For a good child will always learn quickly.' This was a
proverbial expression, and may be found in the Proverbs of H ending,
St. 9 : —
* Me may lere a sely fode [one }>iay teach a good chih{\
That is euer toward gode
With a lutel lore ;
Yef me nul \if one -will not\ him forther teche,
Thenne is \Jns\ herte wol areche
Forte lerne more.
Sely chyld is sone ylered ; Quoth Hendyng.'
1704. slant, stands, is. Tyrwhitt says — * we have an account of
the very early piety of this Saint in his lesson ; Breviarium Ro-
manum, vi. Decemb.— Cuius uiri sanctitas quanta futura esset, iam
ab incunabulis apparuit. Nam infans, cum reliquas dies lac nutri-
cis frequens sugeret, quarta et sexta feria (i.e. oJi Wednesdays
and Fridays) semel duntaxat, idque uesperi, sugebat.' Besides,
St. Nicholas was the patron of schoolboys, and the festival of the
* boy-bishop' was often held on his day (Dec. 6j; Rock, Church of
our Fathers, iii. 2. 215.
1708. Ahna redemptoris mater. There is more than one hymn
with this beginning, but the one meant is perhaps one of five
stanzas printed in Hymni Latini Medii vEvi, ed. F. J. Mone, vol. ii. p. 200,
from a St. Gallen MS. no. 452, p. 141, of the thirteenth century.
The first and last stanzas were sung in the Marian Antiphon, from
the Saturday evening before the ist Sunday in Advent to Candle-
mas day. In 1. 4 we have the salutation which Chaucer mentions
(1. 1723), and in the last stanza is the prayer (1. 1724). These two
stanzas are as follows : —
'Alma redemptoris mater,
quam de caelis misit pater
propter salutem gentium ;
tibi dicunt omnes " aue !"
quia mundum soluens a uae
mutasti uocem flentium
Audi, mater pietatis,
nos gementes a peccatis
et a malis nos tuere ;
ne damnemur cum impiis,
in aeternis suppliciis,
peccatorum miserere.'
There is another anthem that would suit almost equally well,
but hardly comes so near to Chaucer's description. It occurs in
the Roman Breviary, ed. 1583, p. 112, and was said at compline
from Advent eve to Candlemas day, like the other; cf. 1. 1730.
The words are: —
^ ^
178 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
* Alma redemptoris mater, quae peruia caeli
Porta manes, et stella maris, succurre cadenti,
Surgere qui curat, populo : Tu quae genuisti,
Natura mirante, tuum sanctum Genitorem,
Virgo prius ac posteriiis, Gabrielis ab ore
Sumens illud "Aue!" peccatorum miserere.'
In the Myrour of Our Lady, ed. Blunt, p. 174, an English trans-
lation of the latter anthem is given, with the heading 'Alma redemp-
toris mater.'
1709. aniiphoner, anthem-book. 'The Antiphoner, or Lyggar, was
always a large codex, having in it not merely the words, but the
music and the tones, for all the invitatories, the hymns, responses,
versicles, collects, and little chapters, besides whatever else belonged
to the solemn chanting of masses and lauds, as well as the
smaller canonical hours ' ; Rock, Church of our Fathers, v. 3, pt. 2,
p. 212.
1710. ner atid ner^ nearer and nearer. The phrase conie near and
neor ( = come nearer and nearer) occurs in King Alisaunder, in
Weber's Metrical Romances, 1. 599.
1713. was to seye, was to mean, meant. To seye is the gerundial
or dative infinitive ; see Morris, Hist. Outlines of English Accidence,
sect. 290.
1716. Texpoundcn, to expound. .So also iallege =io allege, Kn.
Ta., A. 3000 (Harl. MS.) ; tespye = \.o espy, Nonne Pr. Ta., B. 4478.
See note to 1. 1733.
1726. can but smal, know but little. Cf. ' the compiler is smal
learned'; Old Plays, ed. Hazlitt, i. 10. — AL Cf. coude=\intw, in
1. 1735-
1733. To honoure\ this must be read tondure, like texpoufiden in
1. 1716.
1739. To schoiciuard ; cf. From Bordeaux ward in the Prologue,
A. 397.— M.
1749. The feeling against Jews seems to have been very bitter,
and there are numerous illustrations of this. In Gower's Conf.
Amant. bk. vii, ed. Pauli, iii. 194, a Jew is represented as saying —
' I am a Jewe, and by my lawe
I shal to no man be felawe
To kepe him trouth in word ne dede.'
In Piers the Plowman, B. xviii. 104, Faith reproves the Jews, and
says to them —
' 5e cherles, and jowre children • chieue \ihrive\ shal 5e neure,
Ne haue lordship in londe • ne no londe tylye [//// ,
But al bareyne be ' & vsurye vsen,
Which is lyf ])at owre lorde ' in alle lawes acurseth.'
See also P. PL, C. v. 194. Usury was forbidden by the canon law,
and those who practised it, chiefly Jews and Lombards, were held to
LI. 1709-94.1 THE PRIORESSES TALE. 179
be grievous sinners. Hence the character of Shylock, and of Mar-
lowe's Jew of Malta. Cf. note on the Jews in England in the Annals
of England, p. 162.
1751. honest, honourable ; as in the Bible, Rom. xii. 17, &c.
1752. swich, such. The sense here bears out the formation of the
word from so- like. — M.
1753. your, of you. Shakespeare has ' in yot^r despite,' Cymb. i. 6.
135 ; 'in thy despite,' l Hen. VI, iv. 7. 22. Despite is used, like the
Early and Middle English jnatigre, with a genitive ; as maiigre pin,
in spite of thee, in Havelok, 11. 11 28, 1789.— M.
1754. ' Which is against the respect due to your law.' Cf. ' spretae-
que iniuria formae'; yEneid, i. 27.
1762. Wardrobe, privy. Godefroy's O. F. Diet, shews that garde-
robe meant not only a wardrobe, or place for keeping robes, &c., but
also any small chamber ; hence the sense. See Cotgrave.
1764. ' O accursed folk (composed) of Herods wholly new.'
1766. ' Murder will out ' ; a proverb ; see B. 4242.
1769. Souded to, confirmed in. From O. F. souder, Lat. solidare,
whtnct'E. solder. Wyclifs later version has — 'hise leggis and hise
feet weren sotudid togidere'; Acts, iii. 7. The reference in 11. 1770-5
is to "Rev. xiv. 3, 4.
1793. lesu. This word is written ' Ihu' in E. Hn. Cm. ; and ' ihc'
in Cp. Pt. Ln. ; in both cases there is a stroke through the h. This is
frequently printed Ihesu, but the retention of h is unnecessary. It is
not really an h at all, but the Greek H, meaning long e (e). So, also,
in * ihc,' the c is not the Latin c, but the Gk. c, meaning 2 or j ; and
ihc are the first three letters of the word IH20Y2 = kr]crovs = iesus.
lesu, as well as Iesus, was used as a nominative, though really the
genitive or vocative case. At a later period, ihs (still with a stroke
through the h) was written for ihc as a contraction of iesus. By an
odd error, a new meaning was invented for these letters, and common
belief treated them as the initials of three Latin words, viz. Iesus
Hominum Salvator. But as the stroke through the h or mark of con-
traction still remained unaccounted for, it was turned into a cross !
Hence the common symbol I.H.S. with the small cross in the upper
part of the middle letter. The wrong interpretation is still the favourite
one, all errors being long-lived. Another common contraction is Xpc,
where a// the letters are Greek. The x is ch (x), thep is r (p), and c
is s, so that Xpc = chrs, the contraction for chrisius or Christ. This is
less common in decoration, and no false interpretation has been found
for it.
1794. inwith, within. This form occurs in E. Hn. Pt. Ln. ; the
rest have luitkin. Again, in the Merchant's Tale (E. 1944), MSS. E.
Hn. Cm. HI. have the form iji%uith. It occurs in the legend of
St. Katharine, ed. Morton, 1. 172; in Sir Perceval (Thornton Ro-
mances), 1. 611 ; in Alliterative Poems, ed. Morris, A. 970; and in
Palladius on Husbandry, ed. Lodge, iii. 404. Dr. Morris says it was
N 2
i8o NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
(like ntiviih = without) originally peculiar to the Northern dialect.
See the Glossary, and the note to 1. 2159 below (p. 202).
1805. coomen ; so in E. Hn. ; comen in Pt. Cp. But it is the past
tense = came. The spelling comen for the past tense plural is very
common in Early Einglish, and we even find com in the singular.
Thus, in 1. 1807, the Petworth MS. has ' He come,' equivalent to
'coom,' the being long. But herietJi in 1. 1808 is Vl presetit tense.
1814. «^A-/(?, nighest, as in Kn. Ta. A. 1413. So also hext = highest,
as in the Old Eng. proverb—' When bale is hext, then bote is next,' i. e.
* when woe is highest, help is nighest.' AV.r/ is for neh-est, and hext
is for heli-est.
1817. 7ieioe Rachel, second Rachel, as we should now say ; referring
to Matt. ii. 18.
1819. dooihfor to sterve, causes to die. So also in 1. 1823, didehevi
draive = caused them to be drawn.
1822. Evidently a proverb; compare Boeth. bk. iv. pr. i. 37-40
(vol. ii. p. 93) ; and note to P. Plowman, C. v. 140.
1826. The body occupied the place of honour. ' The bier, if the
deceased had been a c/erl', went into the chancel ; if a layman, and
not of high degree, the bearers set it down in the nave, hard by the
church-door ' ; Rock, Ch. of our Fathers, ii. 472. He cites the Sarum
Manual, fol. c.
1827. the abbot ; pronounced ihabbbt. covent, convent ; here used
for the monks who composed the body over which the abbot presided.
So in Shakespeare, Hen. VHI, iv. 2. 18 — 'where the reverend abbot,
With all his covent, honourably received him.' The form covent is
Old French, still preserved in Covent Gardett.
1835. hahe ; two MSS. consulted by Tyrwhitt read conjure, a mere
gloss, caught from the line above. Other examples of halse in the
sense oi conjure occur. ' Ich ha/si \e. o godes nome ' = I conjure thee
in God's name ; St. Marherete, ed. Cockayne, p. 17. Again, in Joseph
of Arimathie, ed. Skeat, 1. 400 —
' Vppon |)e heije trinite • I halse ]>q to telle ' —
which closely resembles the present passage.
1838. to my semmge, i.e. as it appears to me.
1840. * And, in the ordinary course of nature.*
1843. Wil, wills, desires. So in Matt. ix. 13, I tvtll have mercy =
I require mercy ; Gk. eXeoi/ 6i\u> ; Vulgate, misericordiam uolo.
Cf. B. 45.
1848. In the Ellesmere MS. (which has the metrical pauses marked)
the pause in this line is marked after lyf. The word sholde is dissyllabic
here, having more than the usual emphasis ; it has the force oi ought
to. Cf. E.I 146.
1852. In the Cursor Mundi, i^Z^^^ Seth is told to place three
pippins under the root of Adam's tongue.
1857. now is used in the sense of take 7ioiice that, without any
LI. 1805-74.1 THE PRIORESSES TALE. i8i
reference to iivie. There is no necessity to alter the reading to than,
as proposed by Tyrwhitt. See Matzner, Engl. Gram. ii. 2. 346, who
refers to Luke ii. 41, John i. 44, and quotes an apt passage from
Maundeville's Travels, p. 63 — ^ Now aftre that men han visited the
holy places, thanne will they tumen toward Jerusalem.' In A. S. the
word used in similar cases is soplice = soothly, verily.
1873. Ther, Avhere. leve, grant. No two words have been more
confused by editors than lene and leice. Though sometimes written
much alike in MSS., they are easily distinguished by a little care. The
A. S. lyfaii or Iffan, spelt Icfe in the Onnulum (vol. i. p, 308), answers
to the Germ, crlatiben, and means ^r^;// ax permit, but it can only be
used in certain cases. The verb lene, A. S. icenan, now spelt lend,
often means to give or grant in Early English, but again only in certain
cases. I quote from my article on these words in Notes and Queries,
4 Ser. ii. 127— 'It really makes all the difference whether we are
speaking oiio grant a thing to a person, or io grant that a thing may
happen. " God lene thee grace," means " God grant thee grace,"
where to grant is to impart', but " God leue we may do right " means
" God grant we may do right," where to grant is to permit
Briefly, lene requires an accusative case after it, leue is followed by
a dependent clause.' Lene occurs in Chaucer, Prol. A. 611, Milleres
Tale, A. 3777, and elsewhere. Examples of /^//f in Chaucer are (i) in
the present passage, misprinted lene by Tyrwhitt, Morris, Wright, and
Bell, though five of our MSS. have leue; (2) in the Freres Tale,
D. 1644, printed lene by Tyrwhitt (1. 7226), Icene by Morris, leeve by
Wright and Bell ; (3) (4) (5) in three passages in Troilus and Criseyde
(ii. 1212, iii. 56, v. 1750), where Tynvhitt prints leve, but unluckily
recants his opinion in his Glossary, whilst Morris prints lerie. For
other examples see Stratmann, s. v. Icenan and leven.
It may be remarked that leve in Old English has several other
senses; such as (l) to believe ; (2) to live; (3) to leave; (4) to remain;
(5) leave, sb.\ (6) dear, adj. I give an example in which the first,
sixth, and third of these senses occur in one and the same line : —
* What ! leuestow, leue lemman, that i the [thee'l leue wold } '
Will, of Paleme, 2358.
1874. Hugh of Lincoln. The story of Hugh of Lincoln, a boy
supposed to have been murdered at Lincoln by the Jews, is placed by
Matthew Paris under the year 1255. Thynne, in his Animadversions
upon Speght's editions of Chaucer (p. 45 of the reprint of the E.E.T.S.),
addresses Speght as follows — 'You saye, that in the 29 Henry iii.
eightene Jewes were broughte ixom Lincolne, and hanged for crucy-
fyinge a childe of eight yeres olde. Whiche facte was in the 39 Hen.
iii., so that yo&? niighte verye well haue sayed, that the same childe of
eighte yeres olde was the same hughe of Lincolne ; of whiche name
there were twoe, viz. thys younger Seinte Hughe, and Seinte Hughe
bishoppe of Lincolne, which dyed in the yere 1200, long before this
j82 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group B.
/
/ little seinte hughe. And to prove that this childe of cighte yeres olde
and that yonge hughe of Lincolne were but one ; I will sett downe two
auctoryties out of Mathewe Paris and Walsinghame, wherof the fyrste
wryteth, that in the yere of Christe 1255, being the 39 of Henry the 3,
a childe called Hughe was sleyne by the Jewes at Lyncolne, whose
lamentable historye he delyvereth at large ; and further, in the yere
1256, being 40 Hen. 3, he sayeth, Dimissi sunt quieti 24 Judei d Turri
London., qui ibidem infames tenebantur compediti pro crucifixione
sancti Hugonis Lincolniae : All which Thomas Walsingham, in Hypo-
digma Neustriae, confirmeth : sayinge, Ao. 1255, Puer quidam Chris-
tianus, nomine Hugo, h, Judeis captus, in opprobrium Christiani nominis
crudeliter est crucifixus.' There are several ballads in French and
English, on the subject of Hugh of Lincoln, which were collected by
M. F. Michel, and published at Paris in 1834, with the title — ' Hugues
de Lincoln, Recueil de Ballades Anglo-Normandes et Ecossoises
relatives au Meurtre de cet Enfant.' The day of St. Hugh, bishop of
Lincoln, is Aug. 27 ; that of St. Hugh, boy and martyr, is June 29.
See also Brand's Pop- Antiq. ed. Ellis, i. 431. And see vol. iii. p. 423.
1875. With, by. See numerous examples in Matzner, Engl. Gram,
ii. 1. 419, amongst which we may especially notice — * Stolne is he luith
lues'; Towneley Mysteries, p. 290.
Prologue to Sir Thopas.
1881. miracle, pronounced )niracl\ Tyrwhitt omits al, and turns
the word into mirdcle, unnecessarily.
1883. hoste is so often an evident dissyllable (see 1. 1897), that there
is no need to insert to after it, as in Tyrwhitt. In fact, bigan is seldom
followed by to.
1885. what man artow, what sort of a man art thou ?
1886. woldest finde, wouldst like to find. We learn from this
passage, says Tyrwhitt, that Chaucer ' was used to look much upon the
ground ; that he was of a corpulent habit ; and reserved in his be-
haviour.' We cannot be quite sure that the poet is serious ; but these
inferences are probably correct ; cf. Lenvoy a Scogan, 31.
1889. war you, mind yourselves, i. e. make way.
1890. as7uclas I; said ironically. Chaucer is as corpulent as the
host himself. See note to 1. 1886 above.
1891. 7vere, would be. tcnbrace, to embrace. In the Romaunt of
the Rose, true lovers are said to be always lean ; but deceivers are
often fat enough : —
* For men that shape hem other wey
Falsly hir ladies to bitray,
It is no wonder though they be fat'; 1. 2689.
1893. elvish, elf-like, akin to the fairies ; alluding to his absent looks
LI. 1875-900.] THE TALE OF SIR THOPAS. 183
and reserved manner. See Elvish in the Glossary, and cf. ' this elvish
nyce lore'; Can. Yeom. Tale, G. 842. Palsgrave has — *I waxe
eluysshe, nat easye to be dealed with, le deuiens mal traictable!
1900. Ye, yea. The difference in Old English between ye and yis
(yes) is commonly well marked. Ye is the weaker form, and merely
assents to what the last speaker says ; but_y/j- is an affirmative of great
force, often followed by an oath, or else it answers a question containing
^.negative particle, as in the House of Fame, 864. Cf. B. 4006 below.
The Tale of Sir Thopas.
In the black-letter editions, this Tale is called ' The rj-me of Sir
Thopas,' a title copied by Tyrwhitt, but not found in the seven best
MSS. This word is now almost universally misspelt rhyme, owing to
confusion with the Greek rhythm ; but this misspelling is never found
in old MSS. or in early printed books, nor has any example yet been
found earlier than the reign of Elizabeth. The old spelling 7i7ne is
confirmed by the A. S. rim, Icel. rim, Dan. rim, Swed. rim^ Germ, reim^
Dutch rijm. Old Fr. rime, &.c. Confusion with rime, hoarfrost, is
impossible, as the context always decides which is meant ; but it is
worth notice that it is the latter word which has the better title to an //,
as the A. S. word for hoarfrost is hrim. Tyrwhitt, in his edition of
Chaucer, attempted two reforms in spelling, viz. rivie for rhyme, and
coud for could. Both are most rational, but probably unattainable.
Thopas. In the Supplement to Ducange we find—' Tliopasius, pro
Topasius, Acta S. Wencesl. tom. 7. Sept. p. S06, col. i.' The Lat.
topazius is our topaz. The whole poem is a burlesque (see vol. iii. p.
423), and Sir Topaz is an excellent title for such a gem of a knight.
The name Topyas occurs in Richard Coer de Lion, ed. Weber, ii. 11,
as that of a sister of King Richard I ; but no such name is known to
history.
The metre is that commonly used before and in Chaucer's time by
long-winded ballad-makers. Examples of it occur in the Romances of
Sir Percevall, Sir Isumbras, Sir Eglamour, and Sir Degrevant (in the
Thornton Romances, ed. Halliwell), and in several romances in the
Percy Folio MS. (ed. Hales and Furnivall), such as Libius Disconius,
Sir Triamour, Sir Eglamour, Guy and Colbrande, The Grene Knight,
&c. ; see also Amis and Amiloun, and Sir Amadas in Weber's Metrical
Romances; and Lybeaus Disconus, The King of Tars, Le Bone
Florence, Emare, The Erie of Tolous, and Horn Childe in Ritson's
collection. To point out Chaucer's sly imitations of phrases, &c. would
be a long task ; the reader would gain the best idea of his manner
by reading any one of these old ballads. To give a few illustrations
is all that can be attempted here ; I refer the reader to Prof. Kolbing's
elaborate article in the Englische Studien, xi. 495, for further informa-
tion ; also to the dissertation by C. J. Bennewitz mentioned in vol. iii.
184 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
p. 424. It is remarkable that we find in Weber a ballad called 'The
Hunting of the Hare,' which is a pure burlesque, like Chaucer's,
but a little broader in tone and more obviously comic.
1902. Listeth, lordes, hearken, sirs. This is the usual style of
beginning. For example, Sir Bevis begins —
' Lardy nges, lystenyth, grete and smale';
and Sir Degard begins —
* Lystenyth, lordynges, gente and fre,
Y wylle yow telle of syr Degare.'
Warton well remarks — * This address to the lordings, requesting their
silence and attention, is a manifest indication that these ancient pieces
were originally sung to the harp, or recited before grand assemblies,
upon solemn occasions'; Obs. on F. Queene, p. 248.
1904. solas, mirth. See Prol. 1. 798. 'This word is often used in
describing the festivities of elder days. " She and her ladyes called for
their minstrells, and solaced themselves with the disports of dauncing " ;
Leland, Collectanea, v. 352. So in the Romance of Ywaine and
Gawin : —
"Full grete and gay was the assemble
Of lordes and ladies of that cuntre.
And als of knyghtes war and wyse.
And damisels of mykel pryse ;
Ilkane with other made grete gamen
And grete solace, &c."' (1. 19, ed. Ritson).
Todd's lUust. of Chaucer, p. nZ.
1905. gent, gentle, gallant. Often applied to ladies, in the sense of
pretty. The first stanzas in Sir Isumbras and Sir Eglamour are much
in the same strain as this stanza,
1910. Popcrhig. ' Poppering, or Poppeling, was the name of a
parish in the Marches of Calais. Our famous antiquary Leland was
once rector of it. See Tanner, Bib. Brit, in v. Leland.' — Tyrwhitt.
Here Calais means the district, not the town. Poperingc has a popu-
lation of about 10,500, and is situate about 26 miles S. by W. from
Ostend, in the province of Belgium called West Flanders, very near
the French ' marches,' or border. Ypres (see A. 448) is close beside
it. place, the mansion or chief house in the town. Dr. Pegge,
in his Kentish Glossary, (Eng. Dial. Soc), has — '■Place, that is, the
manor-house. Heame, in his pref. to Antiq. of Glastonbury, p. xv,
speaks of a manour-place' He refers also to Strype's Annals,
cap. XV.
1915. payndefnayn. ' The very finest and the whitest [kind of bread]
that was known, was sivinel-bread, which .... was as commonly
known under the name of pain-demayn (afterwards corrupted into
[paznmaifi or] payiiian) ; a word which has given considerable trouble
to Tyrwhitt and other commentators on Chaucer, but which means no
LI. 1902-24.] THE TALE OF SIR THOPAS. 185
more than " bread of our Lord," from the figure of our Saviour, or the
Virgin Mary, impressed upon each round flat loaf, as is still the usage
in Belgium with respect to certain rich cakes much admired there ' ;
Chambers, Book of Days, i. 119. The Liber Albus (ed. Riley, p. 305)
speaks of '■demesne bread, known as demeine^ which Mr. Riley anno-
tates by — 'Pants Domimats. Simnels made of the very finest flour
were thus called, from an impression upon them of the efiigy of our
Saviour.' Tyrwhitt refers to the poem of the Freiris of Berwick, in the
Maitland MS., in which occur the expressions breid of nuuie and
inane breid. It occurs also in Sir Degrevant (Thornton Romances,
p. 235):— , .. ,
'^ '^•' ' Payneniayn prevayly
Sche brou3th fram the pantry,' (S:c.
It is mentioned as a delicacy by Gower, Conf. Amantis, bk. vi. (ed.
Pauli, iii. 22).
1917. rode, complexion, scarlet in grayn, i. e. scarlet dyed in
grain, or of a fast colour. Properly, to dye in grain meant to dye
with grain, i.e. with cochineal. In fact, Chaucer uses the phrase
'with grey n^ in the epilogue to the Nonne Prestes Tale; B. 4649.
See the long note in Marsh's Lectures on the English Language,
ed. Smith, pp. 54-62, and the additional note on p. 64. Cf. Shak.
Tw. Nt. i. 5. 255.
1920. saffroim ; i. e. of a yellow colour. Cf. Bottom's description of
beards — 'I will discharge it in either your straw-colour beard, your
orange-tawney beard, your purple-in-grain beard, or your P'rench-
crown-colour hc-Ax^, your perfect yellow'' ', Mids. Nt. Dr. i. 2. In
Lybeaus Disconus (ed. Ritson, Met. Rom. ii. 6, or ed. Kaluza, 1. 139)
a dwarfs beard is described as 'yelow as ony wax.'
1924. ciclatoicn, a costly material. From the O. Fr. ciclaton, the
name of a costly cloth. [It was early confused with the Latin cyclas,
which Ducange explains by * vestis species, et panni genus.' The word
cyclas occurs in Juvenal (Sat. vi. 259), and is explained to mean a
robe worn most often by women, and adorned with a border of gold
or purple ; see also Propertius, iv. 7. 40.] Ciclatoicn, however, is of
Eastern origin, as was well suggested in the following note by Col.
Yule in his edition of Marco Polo, i. 249 :—
' The term sukldt is applied in the Punjab trade-returns to broad-
cloth. Does not this point to the real nature of the siclatoiin of the
Middle Ages ? It is, indeed, often spoken of as used for banners, which
implies that it was not a heavy woollen. But it was also a material for
ladies' robes, for quilts, leggings, housings, pavilions. IVIichel does not
decide what it was, only that it was generally red and wrought with
gold. Dozy renders it " silk stuff brocaded with gold," but this seems
conjectural. Dr. Rock says it was a thin glossy silken stuff, often with
a woof of gold thread, and seems to derive it from the Arabic sakl,
"polishing" (a sword), which is improbable.' Compare the following
examples, shewing its use for tents, banners, &c. : —
y
j86 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
' Off silk, cendale, and syclatoun
Was the emperoLirs pavyloun ' ; . . .
' Kyng Richard took the pavylouns
Off sendels and off sykelatotms ' ;
Rich. Coer de Lion (Weber, ii. 90 and 201).
'There was mony gonfanoun
Of gold, sendel, and siclatoiin'' \
Kyng Alisaunder (Weber, i. 85).
Richardson's Pers. and Arab. Diet. (ed. Johnson, 1829), p. 837, gives :
* Pers. saqiatun, scarlet cloth (whence Arab, siqldf, a fine painted or
figured cloth)'; and the derivation is probably (as given in the New E.
Diet.) from the very Pers. word which has given us the word scarlet;
so that it was originally named from its colour. It was afterwards
applied to various kinds of costly materials, which were sometimes
embroidered with gold. See Ciclatoit in Godefroy, and in the New E.
Diet. ; and Scarlet in my Etym. Dictionary.
The matter has been much confused by a mistaken notion of
Spenser's. Not observing that Sir Thopas is here described in his
robes oi peace ^ not in those of war (as in a later stanza), he followed
Thynne's spelling, viz. chekelatoun, and imagined this to mean ' that
kind of guilded leather with which they [the Irish] use to em-
broder theyr Irish jackes'; View of the State of Ireland, in Globe
edition, p. 639, col. 2. And this notion he carried out still more boldly
in the lines—
' But in a jacket, quilted richly rare
Upon cheklatott, he was straungely dight';
F. Q. vi. 7. 43.
1925. Jane, a small coin. The word is known to be a corruption of
Genoa, which is spelt y^a;/^ in Hall's Chronicles, fol. xxiv. So too we
find Janiieys and Jamiaycs for Genoese. See Bardsley's English Sur-
names, s. V. Janezvay. Stow, in his Survey of London, ed. 1599, p. 97,
says that some foreigners lived in Minchin Lane, who had come from
Genoa, and were commonly called galley-men, who landed wines, <S:c.
from the galleys at a place called 'galley-key' in Thames Street.
'They had a certaine coyne of silver amongst themselves, which were
half-pence of Genoa, and were called galley half-pence. These half-
pence were forbidden in the 13th year of Henry IV, and again by
parliament in the 3rd of Henry V, by the name of half-pence of Genoa.
. . . Notwithstanding, in my youth, I have seen them passe currant,'
&c. Chaucer uses the word again in the Clerkes Tale (E. 999), and
Spenser adopted it from Chaucer; F. Q. iii. 7. 58. Mr. Wright
observes that ' the siclaton was a rich cloth or silk brought from the
East, and is therefore appropriately mentioned as bought with Genoese
coin.'
1927. y<?r riveer, towards the river. This appears to be the best
reading, and we must l^k-tfor in close connexion with 7yde ; perhaps it
LI. 1925-42.] THE TALE OF SIR THOPAS. 187
is a mere imitation of the French en riviere. It alludes to the common
practice of seeking the river-side, because the best sport, in hawking,
was with herons and waterfowl. Tyrwhitt quotes from Froissart, v. i.
c. 140 — ' Le Comte de Flandres estoit tousjours en riviere — un jour
advint qu'il alia voller en la riviere — et getta son fauconnier un faucon
apres le heron! And again, in c. 210, he says that Edward III 'alloit,
chacun jour, ou en chace on en riviere^ &c. So we read of Sir
Eglamour:— ,55^ Eglamore tooke the way
to the riu^r ffull right ' ;
Percy Folio MS. ii. 347.
Of Ipomydon's education we learn that his tutor taught him to sing, to
read, to serve in hall, to carve the meat, and
' Bothe of howndis and haukis game
Aftir he taught hym, all and same.
In se, in feld, and eke in ryitcre,
In wodde to chase the wild dere.
And in the feld to ryde a stede,
That all men had joy of his dede.'
Weber's Met. Romances, ii. 283.
See also the Squire of Low Degree, in Ritson, vol. iii. p. 177.
1931. ram, the usual prize at a wrestling match. Cf. Gk. rpaycodla.
stonde, i. e. be placed in the sight of the competitors ; be seen. Cf.
Prol. A. 548, and the Tale of Gamelyn, 172. Tyrwhitt says— ' Mat-
thew Paris mentions a wrestling-match at Westminster, A. D. 1222, in
which a ram was the prize, p. 265.' Cf. also —
* At wresteling, and at ston-castynge
He wan the pr>'s without lesynge,' &c. ;
Octouian Imperator, in Weber's Met. Rom. iii. 194.
1933. paramour, longingly ; a common expression ; see the Glossary.
1937. hepe, mod. E. ' hip,' the fruit of the dog-rose ; A. S. hcope.
1938. Compare— 'So hyt be-felle upon a day'; Erie of Tolous,
Ritson's Met. Rom. iii. 134. Of course it is a common phrase in these
romances.
1941. worth, lit. became ; worth upon=htC3Lxne upon, got upon. It
is a common phrase ; compare —
' Ipomydon sterte vp that tyde ;
Anon he worthyd vppon his stede ' ;
Weber, Met. Rom. ii. 334.
1942. launcegay, a sort of lance. Gower has the word, Conf. Amant.
bk. viii. (ed. Pauli, iii. 369). Cowel says its use was prohibited by the
statute of 7 Rich. II, cap. 13. Camden mentions it in his Remaines,
p. 209. Tyrwhitt quotes, from Rot. Pari. 29 Hen. VI, n. 8, the fol-
lowing — * And the said Evan then and there with a laiincegaye smote
the said William Tresham throughe the body a foote and more,
wherof he died.' Sir Walter Raleigh (quoted by Richardson) says —
i88 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [GronpB.
* These carried a kind of lance dc gay, sharp at both ends, which they
held in the midst of the staff.' But this is certainly a corrupt form. It
is no doubt a corruption of lancezagay, from the Spanish azagaya,
a word of Moorish origin. Cotgrave gives — ' Zagaye, a fashion of
slender, long, and long-headed pike, used by the Moorish horsemen.'
It seems originally to have been rather a short weapon, a kind of
half-pike or dart. The Spanish word is well discussed in Dozy, Glos-
saire des mots Espagnols et Portugais derives de I'Arabe, 2nd ed. p. 225.
The Spanish azagaya is for az-zagaya, where az is for the definite
article al, and zagaya is a Berber or Algerian word, not given in the
Arabic dictionaries. It is found in Old Spanish of the fourteenth
century. Dozy quotes from a writer who explains it as a Moorish
half-pike, and also gives the following passage from Laugier de Tassy,
Hist, du royaume d'Alger, p. 58 — ' Leurs amies sont Vazagaye, qui est
une espece de la7icc coiirte, qu'ils portent toujours a la main.' The
Caffre word assagai, in the sense of javelin, was simply borrowed
from the Portuguese azagaia.
1949. a sory care, a grievous misfortune. Chaucer does not say what
this was, but a passage in Amis and Amiloun (ed. Weber, ii. 410) makes
it probable that Sir Thopas nearly killed his horse, which would have
been grievous indeed; see 1. 1965 below. The passage I allude to is
as follows : —
'So long he priked, withouten abod,
The stede that he on rode,
In a fer cuntray,
Was ouercomen and fel doun ded ;
Tho couthe he no better red \cou7iser\ ;
His song was " waileway ! " '
Readers of Scott will remember Fitz-James's lament over his ' gallant
grey.'
1950. This can hardly be other than a burlesque upon the Squire
of Low Degree (ed. Ritson, iii. 146), where a long list of trees is followed
up, as here, by a list of singing-birds. Compare also the Romaunt of
the Rose, 1. 1367 : —
' There was eek wexing many a spyce,
As clow-gelofre and licoryce,
Gingere, and greyn de paradys,
Canelle, and seiewale of prys,' &c.
Observe the mention oi noiemigges in the same, 1. 1361.'
Line 21 of the Milleres Tale (A. 3207) runs similarly: —
' Of licorys or any setewale.'
Maundeville speaks of the cloive-gilofre and noteniuge in his 26th
chapter; see Specimens of E. Eng. ed. Morris and Skeat, p. 171.
Cetewale is generally explained as the herb valerian, but is certainly
zedoary ; see the Glossary. Clowe-giio/re, a clove ; noictnuge, a nut-
LI. 1949-78.] THE TALE OF SIR THOPAS. 189
meg. ' Spiced ale ' is amongst the presents sent by Absolon to Alisoun
in the Milleres Tale (A. 337S). Cf. the list of spices in King Alisaunder,
ed. Weber, 6790-9.
1955, /eye in cofre, to lay in a box.
1956. Compare Amis and Amiloun, ed. Weber, ii. 391 : —
'She herd the foules g^ete and smale,
The swete note of the nightingale,
Ful mirily sing on tre.'
See also Romaunt of the Rose, 11. 613-728. But Chaucer's burlesque is
far surpassed by a curious passage in the singular poem of The Land of
Cockaygne (MS. Harl. 913), 11. 71-100: —
' In ])e praer ymeadonv^ is a tre
S\vi|)e likful for to se.
pe rote is gingeuir and galingale,
pe siouns be}) al sed^e^walc ;
Trie maces be]) ))e flure ;
pe rind, canel of swet odur ;
pe frute, gilofre of gode smakke, &c.
per be)) briddes mani and fale,
\>rostti, |)ruisse, and ni3tingale,
Chalandre and wod[e]\vale,
And o))er briddes \viJ)out tale [nw>iber\
pat stinte)) neuer by har mijt
Miri to sing[e] dai and ni5t,' &c.
1964. as he ivere wood, as if he were mad, ' like mad.' So in Amis
and Amiloun (ed. Weber), ii. 419: —
' He priked his stede night and day
As a gentil knight, stout and gay.'
Cf. note to 1. 1949.
1974. seinte, being feminine, and in the vocative case, is certainly
a dissyllable here — *0 seint^ Mdrie, ben'cite.^ Cf. note to B. 11 70
above.
1977. Me dremed, I dreamt. Both dremeft (to dream) and vieten
(also to dream) are sometimes used with a dative case and reflexively
in Old English. In the Nonne Prestes Tale we have vie meite (1. 74)
and this 7nan incite (1. 182) ; B. 4084, 4192.
1978. An eif-queen. Mr. Price says—' There can be little doubt that
atone period the popular creed made the same distinctions between the
Queen of Faerie and the Elf-queen that were observed in Grecian
mythology between their undoubted parallels, Artemis and Persephone.'
Chaucer makes Proserpine the 'queen of faerie' in his Marchauntes
Tale ; but at the beginning of the Wyf of Bathes Tale, he describes the
elf -queen as the queen oi'Ca^ fairies, and makes elf a.ndi fairy synony-
mous. Perhaps this elf queen in Sire Thopas (called the queen of
fairye in 1. 2004) may have given Spenser the hint for his Faerie
I90 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
Quecne. But the subject is a vast one. See Price's Preface, in
Warton's Hist. Eng. Poetry, ed. Ilazlitt, pp. 30-36 ; Halliwell's Illus-
trations of Fairy Mythology ; Keightley's Fairy Mythology ; Warton's
Observations on the Faerie Queene, sect, ii ; Sir W. Scott's ballad of
Thomas the Rhymer, &c.
1979. joider my gore, within my robe or garment. In 1. 2107 (on
which see the note) we have leuder toede signifying merely ' in his
dress.' We have a somewhat similar phrase here, in which, however,
gore (lit. gusset) is put for the whole robe or garment. That it was
a mere phrase, appears from other passages. Thus we find under
gore, under the dress, Owl and Nightingale, 1. 51 5 ; Reliquiae Antiquae,
vol. i. p. 244, vol. ii. p. 210; with three more examples in the Gloss.
to Boddeker's Altenglische Dichtungen des MS. Harl. 2253. In one
of these a lover addresses his lady as ' geynest under gore,' i. e. fairest
within a dress. For the exact sense oi gore, see note to A. 3237,
1983. In tonne, in the town, in the district. But it must not be
supposed that much sense is intended by this inserted line. It is a mere
tag, in imitation of some of the romances. Either Chaucer has
neglected to conform to the new kind of stanza which he now introduces
(which is most likely), or else three lines have been lost before this one.
The next three stanzas are longer, viz. of ten lines each, of which only
the seventh is very short. For good examples of these short lines, see
Sir Gawayne and the Greene Kny^t, ed. Morris ; and for a more exact
account of the metres here employed, see vol. iii. p. 425.
1993. So li'ilde. Instead of this short line, Tyrwhitt has : —
'Wherin he soughte North and South,
And oft he spied with his mouth
In many a forest wilde.'
But none of our seven MSS. agrees with this version, nor are these
lines found in the black-letter editions. The notion of spying with
one's viouth seems a little too far-fetched.
1995. This line is supplied from MS. Reg. 17 D. 15, where Tyrwhitt
found it ; but something is so obviously required here, that we must
insert it to make some sense. It suits the tone of the context to
say that ' neither wife nor child durst oppose him.' We may, however,
bear in mind that the meeting of a knight-errant with one of these
often preceded some great adventure. ' And in the midst of an
highway he [Sir Lancelot] met a damsel riding on a white palfrey, and
there either saluted other. Fair damsel, said Sir Lancelot, know
ye in this country any adventures ? Sir knight, said that damsel, here
are adventures near hand, and thou durst prove them ' ; Sir T.
Malory, Morte Arthur, bk. vi. cap. vii. The result was that Lancelot
fought with Sir Turquine, and defeated him. Soon after, he was
'required of a damsel to heal her brother '; and again, 'at the request
of a lady ' he recovered a falcon ; an adventure which ended in a fight, as
usual. Kolbing points out a parallel line in Sir Guy of Warwick, 45-6: —
LI. 1979-2000] THE TALE OF SIR THOPAS. 191
* In all Englond ne was ther none
That durste in wrath ayenst hym goon';
Caius MS., ed. Zupitza, p. 5.
1998. OH/mint, i.e. Elephant ; a proper name, as Tyrwhitt observes,
for a giant. Maundeville has the form olyfauntes for elephatiis. By
some confusion the Moeso-Goth. ulbandtcs and A.S. olfcnd are made
to signify a camel. Spenser has put Chaucer's OUfatitit into his Faerie
Queene, bk. iii. c. 7. st. 48, and makes him the brother of the giantess
Argant^, and son of Typhoeus and Earth. The following description
of a giant is from Libius Disconius (Percy Folio MS. vol. ii. p. 465) :^
' He beareth haires on his brow
Like the bristles of a sow,
His head is great and stout;
Eche arme is the lenght of an ell,
His fists beene great and fell.
Dints for to driue about.'
Sir Libius says : —
* If God will me grace send.
Or this day come to an end
I hope him for to spill,' &c.
Another giant, 20 feet long, and 2 ells broad, with two boar's tusks,
and also with brows like bristles of a swine, appears in Octouian
Imperator, ed. Weber, iii. 196. See also the alliterative Morte Arthure,
ed. Brock, p. 33.
2000. child ; see note to 1. 2020. Terviagaunt ; one of the idols
whom the Saracens (in the medieval romances) are supposed to
worship. See The King of Tars, ed. Ritson (Met. Rom., ii. 174-182),
where the Sultan's gods are said to be Jubiter, Jovin (both forms of
Jupiter), Astrot (Astarte), Mahoun (Mahomet), Appolin (Apollo),
Plotoun (Pluto), and Tirmagauiit. Lybeaus Disconus (Ritson, Met.
Rom. ii. 55) fought with a giant ' that levede yn Termagaunt.' The
Old French form is Tervagatii, Ital. Te7i.fagante or Trivigante^ as in
Ariosto. Wheeler, in his Noted Names of Fiction, gives the following
account — ' Ugo Foscolo says : " Trtvtgante, whom the predecessors of
Ariosto always couple with Apollino, is really Diana Trivia, the sister
of the classical Apollo." .... According to Panizzi, Trivagante or
TcTvagante is the ^loon, or Diana, or Hecate, wandering under three
names. Termagant was an imaginary being, supposed by the crusaders,
who confounded Mahometans with pagans, to be a Mahometan deity.
This imaginary personage was introduced into early English plays and
moralities, and was represented as of a most violent character, so that
a ranting actor might always appear to advantage in it. See Hamlet,
iii. 2. 15.' Fairfax, in his translation of Tasso (c. i. st. 84), speaks of
Termagaunt and Mahound, but Tasso mentions ' Macometto ' only.
See also Spenser, F.Q. vi. 7. 47. Hence comes our termagant in the
sense of a noisy boisterous woman. Shakespeare has — 'that hot
192 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
ter7nagant Scot'; i Hen. IV., v. 2. 114. Cf. Ritson's note, Met. Rom.
iii. 257.
2002. slee, will slay. In Anglo-Saxon, there being no distinct future
tense, it is expressed by the present. Cf. go for will go in ' we also go
with thee'; John xxi. 3.
2005. simphonye, the name of a kind of tabor. In Ritson's Ancient
Songs, i. Ixiv., is a quotation from Hawkins's Hist, of Music, ii. 284,
in which that author cites a passage from Batman's translation
of Bartholomaeus de Proprietatibus Rerum, to the effect that the
sy7)ipho7iie was ' an instrument of musyke . . . made of an holowe tree
[i.e. piece of wood], closyd in lether in eyther syde ; and mynstrels
beteth it with styckes.' Probably the sy7>iphangle was the same
instrument. In Rob. of Brunne's Handlyng Synne, 11. 4772-3, we
' Yn harpe, yn thabour, and sy77ipha7igle,
Wurschepe God, yn trumpes and sautre.'
Godefroy gives the O.F. spellings ctfo7iie, sipho7iie, chifonie, cinfonie,
cy7/ipho7iie, &c. ; all clearly derived from the Greek trvficpavia ; see
Luke, XV. 25. Cf. Squyre of Lowe Degre, 1070-7.
2007. also 77iote I thee, as I may thrive ; or, as I hope to thrive ;
a common expression. Cf. 'So mote y thee'; Sir Eglamour, ed.
Halliwell, 1. 430 ; Occleve, De Regimine Principum, st. 620. Chaucer
also uses ' so thee ik,' i. e. so thrive I, in the Reves Prologue (A. 3864)
and elsewhere.
2012. Abye7i itful soure, very bitterly shalt thou pay for it. There
is a confusion between A. S. st'cr, sour, and A. S. sdr, sore, in this and
similar phrases ; both were used once, but now we should use sorely,
not sourly. In Layamon, 1. 8158, we find ']>ou salt it sore abugge,'
thou shalt sorely payfor it ; on the other hand, we find in P. Plowman,
B. ii. 140: —
' It shal bisitte 5owre soules • ful soure atte laste.'
So also in the C-text, though the A-text has sore. Note that in another
passage, P. Plowman, B. xviii. 401, the phrase is — * Thow shalt abye
it biitrel For abye7t, see the Glossary.
2^\'i. fully pry7/ie. See note to Nonne PrestesTale, B. 4045. Pri77ie
commonly means the period from 6 to 9 a.m. Fully prwte refers to
the end of that period, or 9 a.m. ; and even prt77ie alone may be used
with the same explicit meaning, as in the Nonne Pres. Ta., B. 4387.
2019. staf-sli/ige. Tyrwhitt observes that Lydgate describes David
as armed only ' with a staffe-slynge, voyde of plate and mayle.' It
certainly means a kind of sling in which additional power was gained
by fastening the lithe part of it on to the end of a stiff stick. Staff-
slyngeres are mentioned in the romance of Richard Coer de Lion,
1. 4454, in Weber's Metrical Romances, ii. 177. In Col. Yule's edition
of Marco Polo, ii. 122, is a detailed description of the artillery engines
of the middle ages. They can all be reduced to two classes ; those
LI. 2002-34] THE TALE OF SIR THOPAS.
193
which, like the trebuchet and mangonel, are enlarged staff-slings, and
those which, like the arblast and springold, are great cross-bows.
Conversely, we might describe a staff-sling as a hand-trebuchet.
2020. child Thopas. Child is an appellation given to both knights
and squires, in the early romances, at an age when they had long passed
the period which we now call childhood. A good example is to be
found in the Erie of Tolous, ed. Ritson, iii. 123 :—
* He was a feyre chylde, and a bolde,
Twenty wyntiir he was oolde,
In londe was none so free.'
Compare Romance of ' Horn Childe and Maiden Rimnild,' pr. in
Ritson, iii. 282 ; the ballad of Childe Waters, &c. Byron, in his preface
to Childe Harold, says — 'It is almost superfluous to mention that the
appellation ** Childe," as " Childe Waters," " Childe Childers," &c., is
used as more consonant with the old structure of versification which
I have adopted.' He adopts, however, the late and artificial metre of
Spenser.
2023. A palpable imitation. The first three lines of Sir Bevis of
Hampton (MS. Camb. Univ. Lib. Ff. ii. 38, leaf 94, back) are —
'Lordynges, lystenyth, grete and smale,
Meryar then the nyghtytigale
I wylle yow synge.
In a long passage in Todd's Illustrations to Chaucer, pp. 284-292, it
is contended that viery signifies sweet, pleasant, agreeable, without
relation to mirth. Chaucer describes the Frere as wanton and jnerry,
Prol. A. 208 ; he speaks of the merry day, Kn. Ta. 641 (A. 1499) ;
a tnerry city, N. P. Ta. 25 1 (B. 4261 ) ; of Arcite being told by Mercury to
be 7nerry, i.e. of good cheer, Kn. Ta. 528 (A. 13S6); in the Manciple's
Tale (H. 138), the crow sings merrily, and makes a sweet noise;
Chanticleer's voice was merrier than the merry organ, N. P. Ta. 31
(B. 4041 ) ; the ' erbe yve' is said to be ?nerry, i. e. pleasant, agreeable,
id. 146 (B.4156) ; the Pardoner (Prol. A. 714) sings merrily ZlVl^ loud.
We must remember, however, that the Host, being 'a 7nery
man,* began to speak of 'tnirthe^; Prol. A. 757, 759. A ver>' early
example of the use of the word occurs in the song attributed to
Canute — ^ Merie sungen the Muneches binnen Ely,' «S:c. See the
phrase * tnery men ' in 1. 2029.
2028. The phrase to come to totine seems to mean no more than
simply to return. Cf. Specimens of E. Eng., ed. Morris and Skeat,
p. 45 'Lenten ys come wij) loue to ioutte' — •
which merely means that spring, with its thoughts of love, has returned.
See the note on that line.
2034. for paramotcr, for love ; but the/^r, or else the /or, is redun-
dant, lolite, amusement ; used ironically in the Kn. Ta. 949 (A. 1807).
Sir Thopas is going to fight the giant for the love and amusement of
* * * ^
194 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Groups.
one who shone full bright ; i.e. a fair lady, of course. But Sir Thopas,
in dropping this mysterious hint to his merry men, refrains from saying
much about it, as he had not yet seen the Fairy Queen, and had only
the giant's word for her place of abode. The use of the past tense shone
is artful ; it implies that he wished them to think that he had seen his
lady-love ; or else that her beauty was to be taken for granted.
Observe, too, that it is Sir Thopas, not Chancer, who assigns to the
giant his three heads.
2035. Do come, cause to come ; go and call hither. Cf. House
of Fame, 1. 1197 : —
' Of alle maner of viinstrales,
And gestiours, that iellcn tales
Bothe of weping and of gained
Tyrwhitt's note on gestotirs is — ' The proper business of a gestour
was to recite tales, or gestes ; which was only one of the branches of the
Minstrel's profession. Minstrels and gestotirs are mentioned together
in the following lines from William of Nassyngton's Translation of
a religious treatise by John of Waldby; MS. Reg. 17 C. viii. p. 2 : —
I warne you furst at the beginninge,
That I will make no vain carpinge
Of dedes of armys ne of amours,
As dus jriynstrelles and jestours,
That makys carpinge in many a place
Of Octoviane and Isembrase,
And of many other jestes,
And namely, whan they come to festes ;
Ne of the life of Bevys of Hampton,
That was a knight of gret renoun,
Ne of Sir Gye of Warwyke,
All if it might sum men lyke, &c.
I cite these lines to shew the species of tales related by the ancient
Gestours, and how much they differed from what we now call^Vj/^'.*
The word geste here means a tale of the adventures of some hero,
like those in the Chansons de geste. Cf. note tol. 2123 below. Some-
times the plural gestes signifies passages of history. The famous
collection called the Gesta Romanorum contains narratives of very
various kinds.
2038. royales, royal ; some MSS. spell the word reales, but the
meaning is the same. In the romance of Ywain and Gawain (Ritson,
vol. i.) a maiden is described as reading * a real romance.' Tyrwhitt
thinks that the term originated with an Italian collection of romances
relating to Charlemagne, which began with the words — ' Qui se comenza
la hystoria el Real di Franz a,' Sic. ; edit. Mutinae, 1491, folio. It was
reprinted in 1537, with a title beginning — ^ I reali di Franza,' &c. He
refers to Quadrio, t. vi. p. 530. The word roial (in some MSS. real)
LI. 3035-53] THE TALE OF SIR THOPAS. 195
occurs again in 1. 2043. Kolbing remarks that the prose romance of
Generides is called a royal historie, though it has nothing to do with
Charlemagne.
2043. No comma is required at the end of this line ; the articles
mentioned in 11. 2044-6 all belong to spicery. Cf. additional note to
Troilus, vol. ii. p. 506.
2047. dide, did on, put on. The arming of Lybcaus Disconus is thus
described in Ritson's Met. Rom. ii. 10 : —
'They caste on hym a scherte of selk,
A gypell as whyte as melk,
In that semely sale ;
And syght {for sith] an hawbcrk bryght,
That rychely was adyght
Wyth mayles thykke and smale.'
2048. /a,f(?, linen ; see Glossary. 'De panno delake'; York Wills,
iii. 4 (anno 1395).
2050. akeioun, a short sleeveless tunic. Cf. Liber Albus, p. 376.
'And Florentyn, with hys ax so broun,
All thorgh he smoot
Arm and mayle, and akkeiottn,
Thorghout hyt bot [bity-,
Octouian, ed. Weber, iii. 205.
'For plate, ne for acketion,
For hauberk, ne for campeson ' ;
Richard Coer de Lion, ed. Weber, ii. 18.
The Glossary to the Percy Folio MS., ed. Hales and Fumivall, has —
''Acton, a wadded or quilted tunic worn under the hauberk. — PlatichS,
i. 108.' Thynne, in his Animadversions {Early Eng. Te.\t Soc), p. 24,
says — ^ Haketon is a slevelesse jackett of plate for the warre, couered
withe anye other stuffe ; at this day also called a jackett of plated
It is certain that the plates were a later addition. It is the mod. F.
JioqiietoUy O. F. auquet07i ; and it is certain that the derivation is from
Arab, al-qoton or al-qttiun, lit. ' the cotton ' ; so that it was originally
made of quilted cotton. See auqueton in Godefroy, hoqueton in
Devic's Supp. to Littre, and Acton in the New E. Diet.
205L habergeoiin, coat of mail. See Prol. A. 'jd, and the note.
2052. For percinge, as a protection against the piercing. So in
P. Plowman, B. vi. 62, Piers puts on his cuffs, ' for colde of his nailles,'
i. e. as a protection against the cold. So too in the Rom. of the Rose,
1. 4229.
2053. The hauberk is here put on as an upper coat of mail, of finer
workmanship and doubtless more flexible.
' The hauberk was al reed of rust,
His platys thykke and swythe just';
Octouian, ed. Weber, iii. 200.
2
196 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
'He was armed wonder weel,
* And al with plates off good steel,
And iJtcr nbovcn, an Jiaivbej'k';
Richard Coer de Lion, ed. Weber, ii. 222.
2054. Jeiucs ivcrk, Jew's work. Tyrwhitt imagined that Jew here
means a magician, but there is not the least foundation for the idea.
Mr. Jephson is equally at fault in connecting y^'w wnth jewel, since the
latter word is ctymologically connected with joy. The phrase still re-
mains unexplained. I suspect it means no more than wrought with rich
or expensive work, such as Jews could best find the money for. It is
notorious that they were the chief capitalists, and they must often have
had to find money for paying armourers. Or, indeed, it may refer to
damascened work ; from the position of Damascus.
2055. plate. Probably the hauberk had a breastplate on the front
of it. But on the subject of armour, I must refer the reader to Godwin's
English Archaeologist's Handbook, pp. 252-268 ; Planche's History of
British Costume, and Sir S. R. Meyrick's Observations on Body-armour,
in the Archaeologia, vol. xix. pp. 120-145.
2056. The cote-armour was not for defence, but a mere surcoat on
which the knight's armorial bearings were usually depicted, in order to
identify him in the combat or * debate.' Hence the modem coat-of-
arms.
2059. reed, red. In the Romances, gold is always called red, and
silver wJiite. Hence it was not unusual to liken gold to blood,
and this explains why Shakespeare speaks of armour being gilt
with blood (King John, ii. i. 316), and makes Lady Macbeth talk of
gilding the groom's faces with blood (Macbeth, ii. 2. 56). See also
Coriol. v. I. 63, 64 ; and the expression ' blood bitokeneth gold '; Cant.
Tales, D. 581.
2060. Cf. Libeaus Desconus, ed. Kaluza, 1657-8 • —
'His scheld was asur fin,
Thre bores heddes ther-inne.'
And see the editor's note, at p. 201.
206L 'A carbuncle (Fr. escarboucle) was a common [armorial]
bearing. See Guillim's Heraldry, p. 109.' — Tyrwhitt.
2062. Sir Thopas is made to swear by ale and bread, in ridiculous
imitation of the vows made by the swan, the heron, the pheasant, or
the peacock, on solemn occasions.
2065. lambeux, armour worn in front of the shins, above the mail-
armour that covered the legs ; see Fairholt. He tells us that, in Roach
Smith's Catalogue of London Antiquities, p. 132, is figured a pair of
cuirbouilly jambeux, which are fastened by thongs. Spenser borrows
the word, but spells \i giatnbeitx, F. Q. ii. 6. 29.
quirboilly, i. e. cuir bouilli, leather soaked in hot water to soften it
that it might take any required shape, after which it was dried and
became exceedingly stiff and hard. In Matthew Paris (anno 1243) it is
LI. 2054-68.] THE TALE OF SIR THOPAS. 197
said of the Tartars— *De coriis buUitis sibi arma leuia quidem, sed
tamen impenetrabilia coaptarunt.' In Marco Polo, ed Yule, ii. 49, it is
said of the men of Carajan, that they wear armour of boiled leather
(French text, arvtes ciiiraces de ctiir bouilli). Froissart (v. iv. cap, 19)
says the Saracens covered their targes with ^ cia'r bouilli de Cappadoce,
ou nul fer ne pent prendre n'attacher, si le cuir n'est trop dchaufe.'
When Bruce reviewed his troops on the morning of the battle of
Bannockburn, he wore, according to Barbour, ' ane hat of qwyrbolle '
on his ' basnet,' and ' ane hye croune ' above that. Some remarks on
cuir bouilli will be found in Cutts, Scenes and Characters of the Middle
Ages, p. 344.
2068. rewel-boon, probably whale-ivory, or ivory made of whales'
teeth. In the Turnamentof Tottenham, as printed in Percy's reliques,
we read that Tyb had ' a garland on her hed ful of rounde bonys,' where
another copy has (says Halliwell, s. v. ruel) the reading—* fulle oiruelle-
bones.' Halliwell adds—' In the romaunce of Rembrun, p. 458, the
coping of a wall is mentioned as made * of fin ruival, that schon swithe
brighte.' And in MS. Camb. Univ. Lib. Ff. v. 48, fol. 119, is the
" *' * Hir sadilk was of rcuyllc-bone,
Semely was \a\. sight to se,
Stifly sette w/t^ pr<?cious ston^,
Compaste about w/tA crapote \toad-stonc\^
In Sir Degrevant, 1429, a roof is said to be —
* buskyd above
With besauntus ful brj'ghth,
All of ruel-bo7i,' Sec.
Quite near the beginning of the Vie de Seint Auban, ed. Atkinson, we
*mes ne ert d'or adubbee, ne d'autre metal,
de peres preciuses, de ivoire ne roal';
i.e. but it was not adorned with gold nor other metal, nor with precious
stones, nor ivory, nor rewel. Du Cange gives a Low Lat. form
rohanlum, and an O. Fr. rochal, but tells us that the MS. readings are
7-oliallum Tindrolial. The passage occurs in the Laws of Normandy
about wreckage, and should run — ' dux sibi retinet . . . ebur, rohalhan,
lapides pretiosas'; or, in the French version, * I'ivoire, et le rohal, et
les pierres precieuses.' Ducange explains the word by 'rock-crystal,'
but this is a pure guess, suggested by F. roche, a rock. It is clear that,
when the word is spelt rochal, the ch denotes the same sound as the
Ger. ch, a guttural resembling h, and not the F. ch at all. Collecting
all the spellings, we find them to be, in French, rohal, rochal, 7-oal;
and, in English, ruwal, rewel, ruel, (reuylle, ruelle). The h and w
might arise from a Teutonic hw, so that the latter part of the word was
originally -hwal, i.e. whale; hence, perhaps, Godefroy explains F.
rochal as * ivoire de morse,' ivory of the walrus (A. S. hors-hwcel). The
198 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Groups.
true origin seems rather to be some Norse form akin to Norweg. royr-
kval (E. rorqual). Some whales, as the cachalot, have teeth that afford
a kind of ivory ; and this is what seems to be alluded to. The expres-
sion ' white as whale-bone,' i.e. white as whale-ivory, was once common ;
see Weber's Met. Romances, iii. 350 ; and ivhalcs-bo7iem Nares. Most
of this ivory was derived, however, from the tusk of the walrus or the
narwhal. Sir Thopas's saddle was ornamented with ivory.
2071. cipress, cypress-wood. In the Assembly of Foules, 1. 179,
we have —
' The sailing firr, the cipres, dcth to pleyne ' —
i. e. the cypress suitable for lamenting a death. Vergil calls the cypress
'atra,' ^En. iii. 64, and 'feralis,' vi. 216; and as it is so frequently
a symbol of mourning, it may be said to bode war.
2078. In Sir Degrevant (ed. Halliwell, p. 191) we have just this
expression —
* Here endyth the furst fit.
Howe say ye? will ye any more of hit?'
2085. love-drury, courtship. All the six MSS. have this reading.
According to Wright, the Had. MS. has * Of ladys loue and drewery,'
which Tyrwhitt adopts ; but it turns out that Wright's reading is
copied froDi Tyrwhitt ; the MS. really has — ' And of ladys loue
drewery,' like the rest.
2088. The romance or lay of Horn appears in two forms in English.
In King Horn, ed. Lumby, Early Eng. Text Soc, 1866, printed also in
Matzner's Altenglische Sprachproben, i. 207, the form of the poem
is in short rimed couplets. But Chaucer no doubt refers to the other
form with the title Horn Childe and Maiden Rimnild, in a metre similar
to Sir Thopas, printed in Ritson's Metrical Romances, iii. 282. The
Norman-French text was printed by F. Michel for the Bannatyne Club,
with the English versions, in a volume entitled — Horn et Riemenhild ;
Recueil de ce qui reste des poemes relatifs k leurs aventures, &c. Paris,
1845. See Mr. Lumby's preface and the remarks in Miitzner.
It is not quite clear why Chaucer should mention the romance of
Sir Ypotis here, as it has little in common with the rest. There are
four MS. copies of it in the British Museum, and three at Oxford. ' It
professes to be a tale of holy writ, and the work of St. John the Evan-
gelist. The scene is Rome. A child, named Ypotis, appears before the
Emperor Adrian, saying that he is come to teach men God's law ;
whereupon the Emperor proceeds to interrogate him as to what is
God's Law, and then of many other matters, not in any captious spirit,
but with the utmost reverence and faith. . . . There is a little tract
in prose on the same legend from the press of Wynkyn de Worde ' ;
J. W. Hales, in Hazlitt's edition of Warton's Hist, of Eng. Poetr)',
ii. 183. It was printed in 1881, from the Vernon MS. at Oxford, in
Horstmann's Altenglische Legenden, Neue Folge, pp. 341-8. It is hard
to believe that, by Ypotys, Chaucer meant (as some say) Ypomadoun.
LI. 2071-94-] THE TALE OF SIR THOPAS. 199
The romance of Sir Bevis of Hampton (i. e. Southampton) was
printed from the Auchinleck MS. for the Maitland Club in 1838, 4to.
Another copy is in MS. Ff. 2. 38, in the Cambridge University Library.
It has lately been edited, from six MS. copies and an old printed text,
by Prof, Kolbing, for the Early Eng. Text Society. There is an allusion
in it to the Romans, meaning the French original. It appears in prose
also, in various forms. See Warton's Hist, of Eng. Poetry, ed. Haz-
litt, ii. 142, where there is also an account of Sir Guy, in several
forms ; but a still fuller account of Sir Guy is given in the Percy Folio
MS., ed. Hales and Furnivall, ii. 509. This Folio MS. itself contains
three poems on the latter subject, viz. Guy and Amarant, Guy and
Colbrande, and Guy and Phillis. * Sir Guy of Warwick ' has been
edited for the Early Eng. Text Society by Prof. Zupitza.
By Libetix is meant Lybeaus Disconus, printed by Ritson in his
Metrical Romances, vol. ii. from the Cotton MS. Caligula A. 2. A later
copy, with the title Libius Disconius, is in the Percy Folio MS. ii. 404,
where a good account of the romance may be found. The best edition
is that by Dr. Max Kulaza, entitled Libeaus Desconus ; Leipzig, 1890.
The French original was discovered in 1855, in a P^IS. belonging to
the Due d'Aumale. Its title is Li Biaus Desconneus, which signifies
The Fair Unknown.
Fleyfidivnour evidently means plein d'amour, full of love, and we
may suspect that the original romance was in French ; but there is
now no trace of any romance of that name, though a Sir Playne de
Amours is mentioned in Sir T. Malory's Morte Darthur, bk. ix.
c. 7. Spenser probably borrowed hence his Sir Blandamour,
F. Q. iv. I. 32.
2092. After examining carefully the rimes in Chaucer's Canterbury
Tales, Mr. Bradshaw finds that this is the sole instance in which
a word which ought etymologically to end in -yc is rimed with a word
ending in -y without a following final t'. A reason for the exception is
easily found ; for Chaucer has here adopted the swing of the ballad
metre, and hence ventures to deprive chiuairye of its final e, and to
call it chivalry so that it may rime with Gy, after the manner of the
ballad-writers ; cf. Squyre of Lowe Degre, 79, 80. So again chivalrye,
drury'e become chivahy, drury ; 11. 2084, 2085. We even find/Zaj for
piac-e, 1971 ; and gras ior grac-e, 2021.
2094. glood, glided. So in all the MSS. except E., which has the
poor reading rood, rode. For the expression in 1. 2095, compare —
* But whenne he was horsede on a stede,
He sprange als any sparke one [read of] glede * ;
Sir Isumbras, ed. Halliwell, p. 107.
' Lybeaus was redy boun,
And lepte out of the arsoun {bow 0/ the saddle]
As sperk thogh out of glede ' ;
Lybeaus Disconus, in Ritson, ii. 27.
200 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group B.
*Then sir Lybius with ffierce hart,
Out of his saddle swythe he start
As sparcle doth out of fyer ';
Percy Folio MS. ii. 440.
2106. The first few lines of the romance of Sir Perceval of Galles
(ed. Halliwell, p. i) will at once explain Chaucer's allusion. It
begins —
* Lef, lythes to me
Two wordes or thre
Of one that was faire and fre
And felle in his fighte ;
His right name was Percy vcllc,
He was fostered in the felle,
He dratike water of the welley
And 5itt was he wyghte ! '
Both Sir Thopas and Sir Perceval were water-drinkers, but it did not
impair their vigour.
In the same romance, p. 84, we find —
' Of mete ne drj'nke he ne roghte,
So fulle he was of care !
Tille the nynte daye bj-felle
That he come to a ivelle,
Ther he was wonte for to duelle
And drynk take hym thare^
These quotations set aside Mr. Jephson's interpretation, and solve
Tyrwhitt's difficulty. Tyrwhitt says that ' The Romance of Perceval
le Galois, or de Galis, was composed in octosyllable French verse by
Chrestien de Troyes, one of the oldest and best French romancers,
before the year 1 191 ; Fauchet, 1. ii. c. x. It consisted of above 60,000
verses (Bibl. des Rom. t. ii. p. 250) so that it would be some trouble
to find the fiict which is, probably, here alluded to. The romance,
under the same title, in French prose, printed at Paris, 1530, fol., can
be an abridgement, I suppose, of the original poem.'
2107. worthy tinder wede, well-looking in his armour. The phrase
is very common. Tynvhitt says it occurs repeatedly in the romance
of Emare, and refers to folios 70, 71 b, y^ a, and 74 b of the MS. ; but
the reader may now find the romance in print ; see Ritson's Metrical
Romances, ii. pp. 214, 229, 235, 245. The phrase is used of ladies
also, and must then mean of handsome appearance when well-
dressed. See Amis and Amiloun, ed. Weber, ii. pp. 370, 375. Cf.
1. 1979-
2108. The stoiy is here broken off by the host's interruption. MSS.
Pt. and HI. omit this line, and MSS. Cp. and Ln. omit 11. 2105-7
as well.
Li.aoi6-48.] THE TALE OF MELIBEUS. 201
Prologue to Melibeus.
2111. of, by. leivednesse, ignorance ; here, foolish talk.
21 12. also, &c. ; as verily as (I hope) God will render my soul happy.
See Kn. Ta. A. 1863, 2234.
2113. drasty, filthy. Tynvhitt and Bell print draf/y, explained by
full of draff or refuse. But there is no such word ; the adjective (were
there one) would take the form draffy. See drcsiys, i.e. dregs, lees of
wine, in the Prompt. Parv., and Way's note, which gives the spelling
drastus (a plural form) as occurring in MS. Harl. 1002. The 'LtxX. feces
is glossed by drasiys in Wright's Vocab., ed. Wiilcker, p. 625, 1. 16.
And the Lat. feculentus is glossed by the A.S. drccstig in the same,
col. 238, 1. 20.
2123. hi gesle, in the form of a regular story of adventure of some
well-known hero ; cf. House of Fame, 1434, 151 5. The,^^j/^J generally
pretended to have some sort of historical foundation ; from Low Lat.
gesta, doings. Sir Thopas was in this form, but the Host would not
admit it, and wanted to hear about some one who was more renowned.
'Tell us,' he says, *a tale like those in the chatisons degeste, or at least
something in prose that is either pleasant or profitable.'
2131. ' Although it is sometimes told in different ways by different
people.'
2137. * And all agree in their general meaning.' sentence, sense ; see
11. 2142, 2151.
2148. Read it — Tenforc'e with, &c.
The Tale of Melibeus.
For the sources of the Tale of Melibeus, see vol. iii. p. 426. It may
suffice to say here that Chaucer's Tale is translated from the French
version entitled Le Livre de Mellibee et Prudence, ascribed by
M. Paul Meyer to Jean de Meung. Of this text there are two MS. copies
in the British IMuseum, viz. MS. Reg. 19 C. vii. and IMS. Reg. 19 C. xi,
both of the fifteenth century; the former is said by ?^Ir. T. Wright to
be the more correct. It is also printed, as forming part of Le Menagier
de Paris, the author of which embodied it in his book, written about
1393; the title of the printed book being — 'Le Menagier de Paris;
public pour la premiere fois par la Societe des Bibliophiles Frangois ;
a Paris M.D. CCC. XLVi ' ; (tome i. p. 186); ed. J. Pichon. In the
following notes, this is alluded to as the French text.
This French version was, in its turn, translated from the Liber Con-
solationis et Consilii of Albertano of Brescia, excellently edited for the
Chaucer Society in 1873 by Thor Sundby, with the title 'Albertani
Brixiensis Liber Consolationis et Consilii.' This is alluded to, in the
following notes, as the Latin text. Thor Sundby's edition is most
helpful, as the editor has taken great pains to trace the sources of the
202 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
very numerous quotations with which the Tale abounds; and I am thus
enabled to give the references in most cases. I warn the reader that
Albertano's quotations are frequently inexact.
Besides this, the Tale of Melibeus has been admirably edited, as
a specimen of English prose, in Matzner's Altenglische Sprachproben,
ii. 375, with numerous notes, of which I here make considerable use.
Owing to the great care taken by Sundby and Matzner, the task of
explaining the difficulties in this Tale has been made easy. The more
important notes from Matzner are marked 'Mr.'
The first line or clause (numbered 2157) ends with the word 'Sophie,'
as shewn by the slanting stroke. The whole Tale is thus divided into
clauses, for the purpose of ready reference, precisely as in the Six-text
edition ; I refer to these clauses as if they were lines. The ' paragraphs '
are the same as in Tyrwhitt's edition.
2157. Melibeus. The meaning of the name is given below (note to
I. 2600).
Prudence. ' It is from a passage of Cassiodorus, quoted by Albertano
in cap. vi., that he [Albertano] has taken the name of his heroine, if
we may call her so, and the general idea of her character : — " Superauit
cuncta infatigabilis et expedita fnidentia^'' \ Cass. Variarum lib. ii.
epist. 15.' — Sundby.
Sophie^ i. e. wisdom, crocpin. Neither the Latin nor the French text
gives the daughter's name.
2159. Inwith, within; a common form in Chaucer; see note to B.
1794. Y-shetie, pi. oiy-shet, shut ; as in B. 560.
2160. Tkre ; Lat. text. Ires ; Fr. text, irois. Tyrvvhitt has foure,
as in MSS. Cp. Ln. ; yet in 1. 2562, he prints ' thin enemies ben three,'
and in 1. 2615, he again prints * thy three enemies.' Again, in 1. 2612,
it is explained that these three enemies signify, allegorically, the flesh,
the world, and the devil.
2164. As ferforih, as far; as in B. 19, 1099, &c. Matzner also
quotes from Troilus, ii. 1 106 — ' How ferforth be ye put in loves daunce.'
2165. Matzner would read — 'ever the lenger the more'; but see
E. 687, F. 404.
2166. Ovide, Ovid. The passage referred to is —
' Quis matrem, nisi mentis inops, in funere nati
Flere uetet ? non hoc ilia monenda loco.
Cum dederit lacrimas, animumque expleuerit aegrum,
lUe dolor uerbis emoderandus erit.'
Remedia Amoris, 127-130.
2172. Warisshe, recover ; Cp. Ln. HI. be tuarisshed, be cured.
Chaucer uses this verb elsewhere both transitively and intransitively,
so that either reading will serve. For the transitive use, see below,
II. 2207, 2466, 2476, 2480; also F. 856, 1 138, 1 162; Book of Duch.
1104. For the intransitive use, observe that, in F. 856, Cp. Pt. Ln.
have— * then wolde myn herte Al waryssche of this bitter peynes
LI. 2157-88.] THE TALE OF MELIBEUS. 203
smerte'; and cf. Morte Arthure, 2186 — *I am wathely woundide,
waresche mon I neuer ! ' — M.
Lat. text — 'Filia tua, dante Domino, bene liberabitur.'
2174. Senek, Seneca. ' Non affligitur sapiens liberorum amissione,
non amicorum ; eodem animo enim fert illorum mortem quo suam
expectat ' ; Epist. 74, § 29.
2177. Lazarus ; see John, xi. 35.
2178. Attempree, moderate; Lat. text, 'tcmperatus Actus.' HI.
attemperel, which Matzner illustrates. Cf. D. 2053, where HI. has
attemperelly; and E. 1679, where HI. has attempcrcly. Cf. 11. 2570,
2728 below.
Nothing defended, not at all forbidden.
2179. See Rom. xii. 15.
2181. 'According to the doctrine that Seneca teaches us.' Cf. ' Non
sicci sint oculi, amisso amico, nee fluant ; lacrimandum est, non
plorandum'; Epist. 63, § I.
2183. This is also, practically, from Seneca : * Ouem amabis ex-
tulisti, quaere quem amcs ; satius est amicum rcparare, quam flere';
Epist. 63, § 9.
2185. lesiis Syrak, Jesus the son of Sirach. * Ecclesiasticus is the title
given in the Latin version to the book which is called in the Septuagint
The Wisdom of Jesus the son of Sirach '; Smith, Diet, of the Bible.
Compare the title 'A prayer of Jesus the son of Sirach ' to Ecclus. ch. li.
But the present quotation is really from Prov. xvii. 22. It is the ftext
quotation, in 1. 2186, that is from Ecclus. xxx. 25 (Vulgate), i.e. xxx.
23 in the English version. The mistake is due to misreading the
original Lat. text, which quotes the passages in the reverse order, as
being from ' Jesus Sirac ' and 'alibi.'
2187. From Prov. xxv. 20 ; but the clause is omitted in the modern
Eng. version, though Wycliffe has it. The Vulgate has : — ' Sicut tinea
uestimento, et uermis ligno : ita tristitia uiri nocet cordi.' The words
in the shepes flees (in the sheep's fleece) are added by Chaucer, ap-
parently by way of explanation. But the fact is that, according to
Matzner, the Fr. version here has 'la tigne, ou lartuison, nuit a la robe,'
where artuison is the Mod. F. artisan, explained by Cotgrave as ' a kind
of moth ' ; and I strongly suspect that * in the shepes flees * is due to
this ' ou lartuison,' which Chaucer may have misread as e7i la toison. It
looks very like it. I point other similar mistakes further on.
Anoyeth, harms ; F. 7iuit, L. nocet. The use of /6» here is well illus-
trated by Matzner, who compares Wycliffe's version of this very passage ;
' As a moghe to the cloth, and a werm to the tree, so sorewe of a man
noyeth to the herte '; whereas Purvey's later version thrice omits the to.
In the Persones Tale, Group I. 847, anoyeth occurs both with to and
without it.
2188. Us oghte, it would become us ; oghte is in the subjunctive
mood. Cf. hem oiightc, it became them, in 1. 2458 ; thee oughte, it
became thee, in 1. 2603. — Mr. The pres. indie, form is us oiveth.
204 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
Goodes teviporels ; F. text, blots teinporels. Chaucer uses the F. pi.
in -es or -s for the adjective in other places, and the adj. then usually
follows the sb. Cf. lettres capitals, capital letters, Astrolabe, i. i6. 8 ;
weyes espirituels, spiritual ways, Pers. Tale, I. 79 ; goodes espiriiuels,
id. 312 ; goodes tcmpoTeles^ id. 685 ; thinges espirituels, id. 784. —Mr.
2190. See Job, i. 21. Hath wold, hath willed (it) ; see 2615.
2193. Quotations from Solomon and from Ecclesiasticus are fre-
quently confused, both throughout this Tale, and elsewhere. The
reference is to Ecclus. xxxii. 24, in the Vulgate (cf. A. V. xxxii. 19) ; here
Wycliffe has : — ' Sone, withoute counseil no-thing do thou ; and after
thi deede thou shall not othynke' (i.e. of-tlwike, repent).
Thou shall never 7-epente ; here HI. has — * the thar neuer rewe,' i. e.
it needeth never for thee to rue it.
2202. With-holde,x^\.ximftd.. Cf. A. 511; Havelok, 2362.— Mr.
2204. Parties, &c. ; Fr. text : supporter partie. — Mr.
2205. Hool and sound', a common phrase. Cf. Rob. of GIouc.
pp. 163, 402, ed. Heame (11. 3417, 8301, ed. Wright) ; King Horn, 1. 1365
(in Morris's Specimens of English) ; also 1. 2300 below. — Mr.
2207. ' Heal, put a stop to, war by taking vengeance ; a literal and
very happy translation from the French — atissi doit on guerir guerre
par vefigence.' — Bell. Tyrwhitt omits the words by vengeaunce, and
Lounsbury (Studies in Chaucer, i. 320) defends him, arguing that 'the
physicians are represented as agreeing with the surgeons '; whereas
Chaucer expressly says that * they seyden a fewe wordes more.' The
words 'by vengeaunce ' are in all the seven MSS. and in the French
original. Admittedly, they make nonsense, but the nonsense is ex-
pressly laid bare and exposed afterwards, when it appears that the
physicians did not really add this clause, but Melibeus dreamt that they
did (2465-2480). The fact is, however, that the words par vengence
were wrongly interpolated in the French text. Chaucer should have
omitted them, but the evidence shews that he did not. I decline to
falsify the text in order to set the author right. We should then have
to set the French text right also !
2209. ' Made this matter much worse, and aggravated it.'
2210. Outrely, utterly, entirely, i. e. without reserve ; Fr. text tout
oultre. Not from A.S. litor, outer, utter, but from F. otiltre, outre,
moreover; of which one sense, in Godefroy, is 'excessivement.' See
E. 335. 639, 768, 953 ; C. 849 ; &c.
2216. Fr. text — ' en telle maniere que tu soies bien pourveu d'espies
et guettes.' — Mr.
2218. To moeve ; Fr. text, de moiivoir guerre; cf. the Lat. phrase
mouere belluvi. — Mr.
2220. The Lat. text has here three phrases for Chaucer's * common
proverb.' It has: *non enim subito uel celeriter est iudicandum,
" omnia enim subita probantur incauta," et " in iudicando criminosa
est celeritas," et "ad poenitendum properat qui cito iudicat." ' Of these,
the first is from Cassiodorus, Variarum lib. i. c. 17 ; and the second and
LI. 2190-243] THE TALE OF MELIBEUS. 205
third from Publilius Syrus, Sententiae, 254 and 32 (ed. Friedrich, Bero-
lini, 1880). For iudicando^ as in some MSS., Friedrich has the variant
vmdicaftdo. Cf. the Proverbs of Hending, 1. 256 : ' Ofte rap reweth,'
haste often rues. See note to 2244.
2221. Men seyn ; this does not necessarily mean that Chaucer is
referring to a proverb. He is merely translating. The Lat. text has ;
' quare did co?tsueutt, Optimum iudicem existimem, qui cito intelligit
et tarde iudicat.' It also quotes two sentences (nos. 31 1 and 128) from
Pubhlius Syrus : ' Mora omnis odio est, sed facit sapientiam '; and —
'Deliberare utilia mora est tutissima.' Matzner points out that there
are two other sentences (nos. 659 and 32) in Publilius, which come very
near the expression in the text, viz. ' Velox consilium sequitur poeni-
tentia'; and— 'Ad poenitendum properat, qui cito iudicat.'
2223. See John, viii. 3-8, Yoxhewroot, HI. has 'hew wrot,' which
is obviously wrong.
2227. Made contenaioice, made a sign, made a gesture. Among the
senses of F. contenance, Cotgrave gives : ' gesture, posture, behaviour,
carriage.'
2228. Fr. text — ' qui ne scevent que guerre se monte.' — Mr.
2229. ' The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water ' ;
Prov. xvii. 14.
2231. * The chylde may rue that is vnborn '; Chevy Chase, 1. 9.
2235. 'A tale out of season is as music in mourning'; Ecclus. xxii. 6.
2237. Not from ' Solomon,' but from ' Jesus, son of Sirach,' as before.
The Lat. text agrees with the Vulgate version of Ecclus. xxxii. 6 : 'ubi
auditus non est, ne eflfundas sermonem'; the E. version (verse 4) is
somewhat different, viz. ' Pour not out words where there is a musician,
and shew not forth wisdom out of time.' Chaucer gives us the same
saying again in verse] see B. 3991'
2288. Lat. text : ' semper consilium tunc deest, quando maxime opus
est'; from Publilius Syrus, Sent. 594. {Read cnm opus est maxime.)
2242. Cf. F. text — ' Sire, dist elle, je vous prie que vous ne vous
hastez, et que vous pour tous dons me donnez espace.' — Wright.
2243. Piers Alfonce, Petrus Alfonsi. ' Peter Alfonsus, or Alfonsi,
was a converted Spanish Jew, who flourished in the twelfth century,
and is well known for his Disciplina Clericaiis, a collection of stories
and moralisations in Latin prose, which was translated afterwards into
French verse, under the title of the Chastoiemetit d' iin fere a son fils. It
was a book much in vogue among the preachers from the thirteenth to
the fifteenth century.' — Wright. Tyrwhitt has a long note here ; he says
that a copy of this work is in MS. Bibl. Reg. 10 B. xii in the British
Museum, and that there is also a copy of another work by the same
author, entitled Dialogus conirajudaeos, in MS. Harl. 3861. He also
remarks that the manner and style of the Disciplina Clericaiis ' show
many marks of an Eastern original ; and one of his stories Of a trick
put ttpon a thief is entirely taken from the Calilah a Damnah, a cele-
brated collection of Oriental apologues.' All the best fables of Alfonsus
2o6 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group B.
were afterwards incorporated (says Tyrwhitt) into the Gcsta Roman-
orum. He was born at Iluesca, in Arragon, in 1062, and converted to
Christianity in 1106.
The words here referred to are the following : ' Ne properes ulli
reddere mutuum boni uel mali, quia diutius expectabit te amicus, et
diutius timebit te inimicus'; Disc. Cler. xxv. 15; ed. F.W. V. Schmidt,
Berlin, 1827, 4to., p. 71.
2244. T/ie proverbe, &c. ; not in either the Latin or the French texts.
Cf. the proverb of Hending — * ofte rap reweth,' often haste rues it.
Heywood has — 'The more haste, the worse speed'; on which Ray
notes — ' Come s'ha fretta non si fa mai niente che stia bene '; Hal.
Qui trop se hate en cheminant, en beau chemin se fourvoye souvent ;
Fr. Qui nimis proper^ minus prosper^ ; et nimium properans serius
absoluit.
' Tarry a little, that we may make an end the sooner, was a saying of
Sir Amias Paulet. Presto e bene non si conviene ; Jtal' See 2325 below,
and observe that Chaucer has the same/orfn of words in Troil. i. 956.
2247. From Ecclesiastes, vii. 28. Cf. A. 3154.
2249. From Ecclus. xxv. 30 (Vulgate) : * Mulier, si primatum habeat,
contraria est uiro suo.* Not in the A.V. ; cf. v. 22 of that version.
2250. From Ecclus. xxxiii. 20-22 (Vulgate) ; 19-21 (A.V.).
225L After noght be, ed. 1550 adds — 'if I shuld be cou«sayled by
the '; but this is redundant. See next note.
2252-3. These clauses are omitted in the MSS. and black-letter
editions, but are absolutely necessary to the sense. The French text
has — ' car il est escript : la jenglerie des femmes ne puet riens celer
fors ce qu'elle ne scet. Apres, le philosophe dit : en mauvais conseil
les femmes vainquent les hommes. Pour ces raisons, je ne doy point
user de ton conseil.' It is easy to turn this into Chaucerian English,
by referring to 11. 2274, 2280 below, where the missing passage is quoted
with but slight alteration.
The foniier clause is quoted from Marcus Annaeus Seneca, father of
Seneca the philosopher, Controversiarum Lib. ii. 13. 12 : — ' Garrulitas
mulierum id solum nouit celare, quod nescit.' Cf. P. Plowman, B.
v. 168 ; xix. 157 ; and see the Wyf of Bathes Tale, D. 950. The second
clause is from Publilius Syrus, Sent. 324 : — ' Malo in consilio feminae
uincunt uiros.'
2257. 'Non est turpe cum re mutare consilium'; Seneca, De Bene-
ficiis, iv. 38, § I.
Maketh no lesing, telleth no lie ; compare the use of Iyer just above.
Turneth his corage, changes his mind. Matzner quotes a similar
phrase from Halliwell's Diet., s. v. Tome : —
* But thogh a man himself be good,
And he tome so his mood
That he haunte fooles companye,
It shal him tome to grete folic.'
MS. Lansdowne 793, fol. 68.
LI. 2244-86.] THE TALE OF MELIBEUS. 207
2258. Thar ye ftai, it needs not that ye ; i. e. you are not obliged.
But ymv lyke, unless you please (lit. unless it please you).
2259. Ther, where. What that him lyketh, whatever he likes.
2260. Save your grace, with the same sense as the commoner phrase
'save your reverence.' The Lat. text has ' salua reuerentia tua'; which
shews the original form of the phrase.
As seith the book. Here 'the book' probably means no more than
the Latin text, which has 'nam qui omnes despicit, omnibus dis-
plicet'; without any reference.
2261. Senek. Matzner says this is not to be found in Seneca ; in fact,
the Latin text refers us to ' Seneca, De Formula Jlonestae Vitae '; but
Sundbyhas found it in Martinus Dumiensis, Formula Honestae Vitae,
cap. iii. This shews that it was attributed to Seneca erroneously.
Moreover, the original is more fully expressed, and runs thus —
' Nullius imprudentiam despicias ; rari sermonis ipse, sed loquentium
patiens auditor ; seuerus non saeuus, hilares neque aspernans ;
sapientiae cupidus et docilis ; quae scieris, sine arrogantia postulanti
imperties ; quae nescieris, sine occultatione ignorantiae tibi benigne
postula impertiri.' Cf. Horace, Epist. vi. 67, 68.
2265. Rather, sooner. See Mark, xvi. 9. The weakness of this
argument for the goodness of woman appears by comparison with
P. Plowman, C. viii. 138 : ' A synful Marje the seyh er seynt Marie
thy moder,' i.e. Christ was seen by St. Mary the sinner earlier than by
St. Mary His mother, after His resurrection.
2266-9. This reappears in verse in the March. Tale, E. 2277-
2290.
2269. Alluding to Matt. xix. 17 ; Luke xviii. 19.
2273. Or noon, or not. So elsewhere ; see B. 2407, F. yyZ, L 962,
963, 964.
2276. Cf. P. Plowman, C. xx. 297, on which my note is as follows.
' Perhaps the original form of this commonly quoted proverb
is this : — " Tria sunt enim quae non sinunt hominem in domo
permanere ; fumus, stillicidium, et mala uxor"; Innocens Papa,
de Contemptu Mundi, i. 18. It is a mere compilation from
Prov. x. 26, xix, 13, and xxvii. 15. Chaucer refers to it in his Tale
of Melibeus, Prologue to Wife of Bathes Tale (D. 278), and Persones
Tale (I. 631); see also Kemble's Solomon and Saturn, pp. 43, 53,
63 ; Walter Mapes, ed. Wright, p. 83.' Cf. Wright's Bibliographia
Britannica, Anglo-Norman Period, pp. 333, 334 ; Hazlitt's Proverbs,
pp. 114, 339; Ida von Duringsfeld, Sprichworter, vol. i. sect. 303 ;
Peter Cantor, ed. Migne, col. 331 ; &c. A medieval proverbial line
expresses the same thus : —
'Sunt tria dampna domus, imber, mala femina, fumus.'
2277. From Prov. xxi, 9 ; cf. Prov. xxv. 24. See D. 775.
2286. The Lat. text has : ' uulgo dici consueuit. Consilium feminile
nimis carum aut nimis uile.' Cf. B. 4446, and the note.
2o8 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. iGroupB.
2288. The examples of Jacob, Judith, Abigail, and Esther are again
quoted, in the same order, in the March. Tale, E. 1362-74. See Gen.
xxvii ; Judith, xi-xiii ; i Sam. xxv. 14 ; Esther, vii.
2293. For7ne-fader, first father. Here forme represents the A. 8.
forma, first, cognate with Goth, fruma, Lat. primus. Cf. ' Adam ure
forme fader'; O. E. Homilies, ed. Morris, ii. loi ; so also in Hampole,
Pr. Cons. 483 ; Legends of the Holy Rood, ed. Morris, p. 62 ; Allit.
Poems, A. 639.
2294. To been a man al/ofte, for a man to be alone ; for this
idiom, cf. L 456, 469, 666, 849, 935. — Mr. See Gen. ii. 18.
2296. Confusioufi ; see B. 4354, and the note.
2297. Lat. text : — ' quare per uersus dici consueuit :
Quid melius auro ? laspis. Quid iaspide ? Sensus.
Quid sensu? Mulier. Quid muliere? Nihil.'
Sundby quotes from Ebrardi Bituniensis Graecismus, cum comm.
Vincentii Metulini, fol. C. I, back —
Quid melius auro ? laspis. Quid iaspide ? Sensus.
Quid sensu ? Ratio. Quid ratione ? Deus.
(A better reading is Auro qut'dmelitis.)
In MS. Harl. 3362, fol. 67, as printed in Reliquiae Antiquae, i. 91, we
find:—
Vento quid leuius ? fulgur. Quid fulgure ? flamma.
Flamma quid 1 mulier. Quid muliere ? nichil.
And these lines are immediately followed by the second quotation
above, with the variations * Auro quid melius,' ' Sensu quid,' and ' nichil '
for ' Deus.'
2303. From Prov. xvi. 24.
2306. For the use of to with biseken, cf. 2940 below. — Mr.
2308. From Tobit, iv. 20 (Vulgate) ; iv. 19 (A. V.). Dresse, direct;
Lat. ' ut uias tuas dirigat.'
2309. From James, i. 5. At this point the Fr. text is much
shortened, pp. 20-30 of the Latin text being omitted.
23n. Lat. text (p. 33) : — 'a te atque consiliariis tuis remoueas ilia
tria, quae maxime sunt consilio contraria, scilicet iram, uoluptatemsiue
cupiditatem atque festinantiam.'
2315. Lat. text: — Mratus semper plus putat posse facere, quam
possit.'
2317. The Lat. text shews that the quotation is not from Seneca's
De Ira, but from Publilius Syrus, Sent. 281 : — ' Iratus nil non criminis
loquitur loco.' Cf. D. 2005, I. 537.
2.320. From i Tim. vi. 10. See C. 334, I. 739.
2325. Lat. 'Adpoenitendum properat, qui cito iudicat ' ; from Publil.
Syrus, Sent. 32. {Read cito qui.) See 1. 2244 above, and the note.
2331. From Ecclus. xix. 8, 9 (A. V.).
2333. Lat. text (p. 40) : — ' Et alius dixit : Vix existimes ab uno posse
celari secretum.'
LI. 2288-367.1 THE TALE OF MELIBEUS. 209
2334. The book. Lat. text : — ' Consilium absconditum quasi in car-
cere tuo est retrusum, reuelatum uero te in carcere suo tenet ligatum.'
Compare Petrus Alfonsi, Disciplina Clericalis, iv. 3. Cf. Ecclus.
viii. 22 (Vulgate) ; viii. 19 (A. V.).
2337. Lat. text: — 'Ait enim Seneca: Si tibi ipse non imperasti, ut
taceres, quomodo ab alio silentium quaeris ? ' This, however, is not
from Seneca, but from Martinus Dumiensis, De Moribus, Sent. 16.
Sundby further quotes from Plutarch (Opera, ed. Hutten. Tubingae,
1 814, vol. xiv. p. 395) • — ^O^rep av ariuiniiadai /3oi;Xi/, nr]8(v\ (itttjs' rj ■nun napd
Ttvos mraiTTjafis to nicrrbv ttjs orioiTrrjs, o ^rj Trap((T\€S (reavra ;
2338. P/ff, plight, condition. It rimes with appetyt, E. 2336, and
•wyte^ G. 953. It occurs again in the Complaint of Anelida, 297, and
Pari, of Foules, 294 ; and in Troilus, ii. 712, 1738, iii. 1039. The modern
spelling is wrong, as it is quite a different word from the verb \o pligJit.
See it discussed in my Etym. Diet., Errata and Addenda, p. 822.
2342. Mett seyji. This does not appear to be a quotation, but a sort
of proverb. The Lat. text merely says : — * Et haec est ratio quare
magnates atque potentes, si per se nesciunt, consilium bonum uix aut
nunquam capere possunt.'
2348. From Prov. xxvii. 9.
2349. From Ecclus. vi. 15:— 'Amico fideli non est comparatio ; et
non est digna ponderatio auri et argenti contra bonitatem fidei illius.*
L. 2350 is a sort of paraphrase of the latter clause.
235L From Ecclus. vi. 14:— 'Amicus fidelis, protectio fortis ; qui
autem inuenit ilium, inuenit thesaurum.' 'He [Socrates] was wonte
to sale, that there is no possession or treasure more precious then
a true and an assured good frende.' — N. Udall, tr. of Erasmus' Apoph-
thegmes, Socrates, § 13.
2352. Cf. Prov. xxii. 17 ; Ecclus. ix. 14.
2354. Cf. Jobxii. 12.
2355. From Cicero, De Senectute, vi. 17 : — ' Non uiribus aut ueloci-
tatibus aut celeritate corporum res magnae geruntur, sed consilio,
auctoritate, sententia ; quibus non modo non orbari, sed etiam augeri
senectus solet.'
2357. From Ecclus. vi. 6.
23GL From Prov. xi. 14; cf. xv. 22.
2363. From Ecclus. viii. 17.
2364. Lat. text : — ' Scriptum est enim, Proprium est stultitiae aliena
uitia cernere, suorum autem obliuisci.' From Cicero, Disput. Tusc. iii.
30. 73-
2366. ' Sic habendum est, nullam in amicitia pestem esse maiorem
quam adulationem, blanditiam, assentationem '; Cicero, Laelius, xxvi.
97 \or XXV.]
2367. Lat. text : — ' In consiliis itaque et in aliis rebus non acerba
uerba, sed blanda timebis.' The last six words are from Martinus
Dumiensis, De Ouatuor Virtutibus Cardinalibus, cap. iii. Cf. Prov.
xxviii. 23.
* * *
* * '^
2IO NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
2368. From Prov. xxix. 5. The words in the next clause (2369) seem
to be merely another rendering of the same passage.
2370. * Cauendum est, ne assentatoribus patefaciamus aures neue
adulari nos sinamus '; Cicero, De Ofificiis, i. 26.
2371. From Dionysius Cato, Distich, iii. 6: — ' Sermones blandos
blacsosque cauere memento.'
2373. ' Cum inimico nemo in gratiam tuto [a/, tute] redit '; Publilius
Syrus, Sent. 91.
2874. Lat. text :— * Ouare Ysopus dixit :
Ne confidatis secreta nee his detegatis.
Cum quibus egistis pugnae discrimina tristis.'
2375. Not from Seneca, but from Publilius Syrus, Sent. 389 : —
* Nunquam ubi diu fuit ignis deficit uapor'; but the I\ISS. differ
in their readings. ' There is no fire without some smoke ' ; Heywood's
Proverbs.
2376. From Ecclus. xii. 10.
2379. The passage alluded to is the following : — * Ne te associaueris
cum inimicis tuis, cum alios possis repperire socios ; quae enim mala
egeris notabunt, quae uero bona fuerint deuitabunt [Lat. text, deuia-
bunt]'; cf. Petrus Alfonsi, Disciplina Clericalis, iv. 4. The words
' they wol perv^erten it ' seem to be due to the reading dcjiiabiint^
taken to mean ' they will turn aside,' in a transitive sense.
238L Lat. text (pp. 50, 51) ; *ut quidam philosophus dixit, Nemo ei
satis fidus est, quem metuit.'
2382. Inexactly quoted from the Latin text, taken from Cicero, De
Officiis, ii. 7 : — ' Malus custos diuturnitatis est metus, contraque beniuo-
lentia fidelis uel ad perpetuitatem . . . Nulla uis imperii tanta est, quae
premente metu possit esse diuturna.'
2384. From Prov. xxxi. 4, where the Vulgate has : ' Noli regibus, o
Lamuel, noli regibus dare uinum ; quia nullum secretum est ubi regnat
ebrietas.' Cf. C. 561 (and note), 585, 587.
2386. Cassidoric^ Cassiodorus, who wrote in the time of Theoderic
the Great, king of the Ostrogoths (a. d. 475-526). The quotation is
from his Variarum lib. x. epist. 18 : — ' quia laesionis instar est occulte
consulere, et aliud uelle monstrare.' In the Latin text, cap. xxiii, the
heading of the chapter is : — ' De Vitando consilium illorum, qui secreto
aliud consulunt, et palam aliud se uelle ostendunt.' Chaucer's rendering
is far from being a happy one.
2387. Cf. Prov. xii. 5 ; but note that the Lat. text has:— 'Malus
homo a se nunquam bonum consilium refert'; which resembles
Publilius Syrus, Sent. 354 : — * Malus bonum ad se nunquam consilium
refert.'
2388. From Ps. i. i.
2391. Ttdlh(s. The reference is to Cicero's De Officiis, ii. 5, as
quoted in the * Latin text': — 'quid in unaquaque re uerum sincerumque
sit, quid consentaneum cuique rei sit, quid consequens, ex quibus
LI. 2368-439-] THE TALE OF MELIBEUS. 211
quaeque gignantur, quae cuiusque rei caussa sit.' This is expanded in
the English, down to 1. 2400.
2405. For dtstreyneih, MS. HI. has the corrupt reading destroy eih.
The reading is settled by the lines in Chaucer's Proverbs (see the
Minor Poems, vol. i. p. 407) : —
'Who-so mochel wol embrace
Lite] therof he shal distreyne.^
The Lat. text has : * Qui nimis capit parum stringit '; the Fr. text has :
* Qui trop embrasse, pou estraint.'
2406. Catouft, Dionysius Cato ; Distich, iii. 15 : —
* Quod potes, id tentato ; operis ne ponderc pressus
Succumbat labor, et frustra tentata relinquas.'
2408. The Lat. text has :— ' Ait enim Petrus Alfunsus, Si dicere
metuas unde poeniteas, semper est melius noti quam j/V,' From his
Disciplina Clericalis, vi. 12.
24n. Defenden, forbid, i. e. advise one not to do. This passage is
really a quotation from Cicero, De Officiis, i. 9 :— ' Bene praecipiunt
qui uetant quidquid agere, quod dubites aequum sit an iniquum.'
2413. The Lat. text has : — ' Nunc superest uidere, quando consilium
uel promissum mutari possit uel debeat.* This shews that the reading
cou7iseiI, as in HI., is correct.
2415. Lat. text : — * Quae de nouo emergunt, nouo indigent consilio,
ut leges dicunt.'
2416. Lat. text : — ' Inde et Seneca dixit. Consilium tuum si audierit
hostis, consilii dispositionem permutes.' But no such sentence has
been discovered in Seneca.
2419. Lat. text : — ' Generaliter enim nouimus, Turpes stipulationes
nullius esse momcnti, ut leges dicunt,' for which Sundby refers us to
the Digesta, xlv. i. 26.
2421. ' Malum est consilium, quod mutari non potest ': Publilius
Syrus, Sent. 362.
2431. First and forward; so in 1. 2684. We now say 'first and
foremost,'
2436. See above, 11. 231 1-2325 ; vol. iv. p. 208.
2438. Anientissed, annulled, annihilated, done away with. In Rom.
iv. 14, where Wyclifife's earlier text has anentyschid, the later text has
distried- The Prompt. Parv. has : ' Anyyntyschyn, or enyntyschyn,
Exinanto.' From O. F. anieniiss-, pres. pt. stem of anientir, to bring
to nothing, variant of anienter, a verb formed from prep, a, to, and
O. F. 7iient (Ital. iiicnte, mod. F. neant), nothing. The form 7tient
answers to Lat. *iic-ente)n or *?iec-entem, from ne, nee, not, and etite?fi,
ace. of ens, being. See the New E. Diet. Cf. anyente in P. Plowman,
C. XX. 267, xxi. 389. As yaw oghte, as it behoved you ; HI. aj ye ought e.
Both phrases occur.
2439. Talent ; Fr. text, * ta voulonte ' ; i. e. your desire, wish. ' Talent,
P 2
212 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
. . . will, desire, lust, appetite, an earnest humour unto ' ; Cotgrave.
Cf. C. 540, and I. 2441 below.
2444, This paragraph is omitted in MS. HI.
1^\1. Hochepot \ HI. Jiochi'poche, whcnct Y.. /lodgepodge. From F.
hochcpot, 'a hotch-pot, or gallimaufrey, a confused mingle-mangle of
divers things jumbled or put together'; Cotgrave. This again is from
the M. Du. /lu/spof, with the same sense ; from /neisen, to shake, and
pot. See Hotchpot in my Etym. Diet. Ther been ye condescended^ and
to that opinion ye have submitted.
2449. Reward, regard ; for re^vard is merely an older spelling of
' regard.' So in Pari, of Foules, 426 ; Leg. of Good Women, 375,
399. 1622.
2454. Lat. text : — * Humanum enim est peccare, diabolicum uero
perscuerare.' Sundby refers us to St. Chrysostom, Adhortatio ad
Theodorum lapsum, L 14 (Opera, Paris, 1718, fol. ; i. 26) ; where we
find (in the Lat. version) :— 'Nam peccare quidem, humanum est ; at
in peccatis perseuerare, id non humanum est, sed omnino satanicum.'
It is also quoted by Vincent of Beauvais, Speculum Historiale, lib.
xvii. c. 45.
24-59. Lat. text : — ' ad illorum officium spectat omnibus prodesse et
nulli nocere.' This (says Sundby) is quoted from the Decretals of
Gregory IX., lib. i. tit. 37. cap. 3.
2467. Cf. Lat. text : — 'scilicet, Contraria contrariis curantur.'
2473. Fr. text : — ' Or veez, dist Prudence, comment un chascun
croist legierement ce qu'il veut et desire ! ' — Mr.
2479. For good, Sec, ' namely, in the sense that good,' &c.
2482. See Rom. xii. 17; cf i Thess. v. 15 ; i Cor. iv. 12. The Lat.
text quotes part of verses 17-21 of Rom. xii. But it is clear that
Chaucer has altered the wording, and was thinking of i Pet. iii. 9.
2485. Aiitt wyse folk, Cp. inserts 'and olde folk,' and Ln. 'and the
olde folke.' The Fr. text has : 'les advocas, les sages, et les anciens.'
Ed. 1532 also inserts 'and olde folke'; and perhaps it should be
inserted.
2487. Warnestore, to supply with defensive materials, to garrison,
protect ; see 2521, 2523, 2525 below. 'And wel thei were warnestured
of vitailes inow'; Will, of Palerne, 1 121. We also find a sb. of the
same form. ' In eche stude hii sette ther strong ivarnesture and god ';
Rob. of Glouc. 2075 (ed. Hearne, p. 94). 'The Sarazins kept it
[a castle] that tym for ther chefe ivarnistonr'; Rob. of Brunne, tr.
of Langtoft, ed. Hearne, p. 180. 'I will remayn quhill this waj-nstor be
gane '; Wallace, bk. ix. \. 1200, where ed. 1648 has ' till all the stufife
be gone.' Correctly warnisture ; a derivative of O. F. warnir, garnir,
to supply (E. garnish), Godefroy gives O. F. 'garnesttire, garm'sttire,
garniture', ivarnesture, s. f. provisions, ressource ; authentication ;
garnison, forteresse '; with eight examples. Cf. E. garrisoft (M.E.
garnison), garment (M. E. garneinent), and garniture. The last of
these is, in fact, nothing but the O. F. warnisture in a more modern
LI. 2444-510.] THE TALE OF MELIBEUS. 213
form. Hence we obtain the sense by consulting Cotgrave, who gives :
* Ganiiture, garniture, garnishment, furniture ; provision, munition,
store, necessary implements.' It also appears that the word is properly
a substantive, with the spelling wamistitre \ it became ivarnistore or
warnestore by confusion with O. F. estor^ a store ; and, as the word
store was easily made into a verb, it was easy to treat luar nest ore in
the same way. It is a sb. in Rob. of Gloucester, as shewn above, but
appears as a verb in Will, of Palerne. MS. HI. has warmstore (with
VI for ni) ; and the same error is in the editions of Wright, Bell, and
Morris. Ed. 1532 has ivarnstorc.
2494. From Ps. cxxvii. 1 (cxxvi. i, V'ulgate).
2496. From Dionysius Cato, lib. iv. dist. 14: — 'Auxilium a nobis
petito, si forte laboras ; Nee quisquam melior medicus quam fidus
amicus.'
2499. Piers Alf once, Petrus Alfonsi, in his Disciplina Clericalis, xviii.
10 : — * Ne aggrediaris uiam cum aliquo nisi prius eum cognoueris ; si
quisquam ignotus tibi in uia associauerit, iterque tuum inuestigauerit,
die te uelle longius ire quam disposueris ; et si detulerit lanceam, uade
ad dextram ; si ensem, ad sinistram.'
2505. The repetition of that before ye, following the former that
heiore/or, is due to a striving after greater clearness. It is not at all
uncommon, especially in cases where the two t/iats are farther apart.
Cf. the use of /le and Aim in 1. 2508.
Lete the kcping, neglect the protection ; A. S. latan.
2507. 'Beatus homo qui semper est pauidus ; qui uero mentis est
durae, corruet in malum'; Prov. xxviii. 14. Hence the quotation-
mark follows bityde,
2509. Counterivayte evibusshements, 'be on the watch against lyings
in ambush.' ' Cotttregaitier, v. act. dpier, guetter de son cote ; refl. se
garder, se mettre en garde '; Godefroy. Three examples are given of
the active use, and four of the reflexive use. Espiaille, companies of
spies; it occurs again in the sense of 'a set of spies ' in D. 1323.
Matzner well remarks that espiaille does not mean 'spying' or
'watching,' as usually explained, but is a collective sb., like O. F.
rascaille, poraille, fcdaille. Godefroy, in his O. F. Diet., makes the
same mistake, though his own example is against him. He has :
'Espiaille, s. f. action d'epier : Nous avons ja noveles par nos
espiailles'; i.e. by means of our spies (not of our spyings). This
quotation is from an A. F. proclamation made in London, July 26, 1347.
2510. Senek, Seneca ; but, as before, the reference is really to the
Sentences of Publilius Syrus. Of these the Lat. text quotes no less
than four, viz. Nos. 542, 607, 380, and 116 (ed. Dietrich) ; as follows : —
'Qui omnes insidias timet, in nullas incidet.'
' Semper metuendo sapiens euitat malum.'
' Non cito perit ruina, qui ruinam timet.'
' Caret periculo, qui etiam [cum est] tutus cauet.'
214 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
2514. Senek; this again is from Publilius Syrus, Sent. 255: —
' Inimicum, quamuis humilem, docti est metuerc.'
2515. The Lat. and Fr. texts both give the reference, correctly, to
Ovid's Remedia Amoris ; see 1. 421 : —
' Parva necat morsu spatiosum uipera taurum ;
A cane non magno saepe tenetur aper.'
Chaucer has here interpolated the reference to ' the thorn pricking
the king' between his translations of these two lines. The interpola-
tion occurs neither in the French nor in the Latin text.
IVese/e, weasel. The origin of this queer mistake is easily perceived.
The Fr. text has : ' La petite vivre occist le grant torel.' Here vivre
represents Lat. uipera, a viper (cf. E. 7i;iver?i) ; but Ch. has construed
it as if it represented Lat. uiuerra, a ferret.
2518. The book. The quotation is from Seneca, Epist. ill. § 3 : —
' Quidam fallere docuerunt, dum falli timent.' {For Quidam read
Nam multi). Tyrwhitt's text is here imperfect, and he says he has
patched it up as he best could; but the MSS. (except Cp. and Ln.)
give a correct text.
2520. Lat. text : — * Cum irrisore consortium non habeas ; loquelae
cius assiduitatem quasi toxica fugias.' From Albertano of Brescia,
who here quotes from his own work, Dc Arte Eloquendi, p. cviii. ;
according to Sundby.
2521. Warnestore, protect ; see note to 2487 above, and see 2523.
252.3. Swiche as han, ' such as castles and other kinds of edifices have.'
Artelleries, missile weapons; cf. i Sam xx. 40, i Mace. vi. 51 (A.V.).
* Artillarie now a dayes is taken for ii. thinges : Gunnes and Bowes';
Ascham, Toxophilus, ed. Arber, p. 65. In Chaucer's time it referred
to bows, crossbows, and engines for casting stones. Cotgrave explains
F. artillier as ' one that maketh both bowes and arrowes.'
2525-6. Owing to the repetition of the words grete edifices, one of
the early scribes (whom others followed) passed from one to the other,
thus omitting the words ' apperteneth som tyme to pryde and eek men
make heighe toures and grete edifices.' But MSS. Cp. and Ln. supply
all but the last three words ' and grete edifices,' and as we know that
' grete edifices ' must recur, they really supply all but the sole word
' and,' which the sense absolutely requires. Curiously enough, these
very MSS. omit the rest of clause 2525, so that none of the MSS. are
perfect, but the text is easily pieced together. It is further verified by
the Lat. text, which has :— ' Munitio turrium et aliorum altorum aedifi-
ciorum ad superbiam plerumque pertinet .... praeterea turres cum
magno labore et infinitis expensis fiunt ; et etiam cum factae fuerint,
nihil ualent, nisi cum auxilio prudentium et fidelium amicorum et cum
magnis expensis defendantur.' The F. text supplies the gap with —
'appartiennent aucune fois a orgueil : apres on fait les tours et les
grans edifices.' — MS. Reg. 19 C. vii. leaf 133, back. Hence there is no
doubt as to the reading.
LI. 3514-82.] THE TALE OF MELIBEUS. 215
All former editions are here defective, and supply the gap with the
single word is, which is found in ed. 1532.
2526. lVi//i giet costages, at great expense : Fr. text, ' a grans
despens.'
Stree, straw; MS. HI. has the spelling straw. We find the phrase
again in the Book of the Duch. 671 ; also * ne roghte of hem a street
id. 887; ' acounted 7tat a street id. 1 237; ' ne counted nat three
strees^ id. 718.
2530. Lat. text : — ' unum est inexpugnabile munimentum, amor
ciuium.' Not from Cicero ; but from Seneca, Ue dementia, i. 19. 5.
2534. ' In omnibus autem negotiis, prius quam aggrediare, adhibenda
est praeparatio diligens '; Cicero, De Officiis, i. 21.
2537. Lat. text : — ' Longa praeparatio belli celerem uictoriam facit.'
But the source is unknown ; it does not seem to be in Cicero.
Matzner quotes a similar saying from Publilius Syrus, Sent. 125 : —
* Diu apparandum est bellum, ut uincas celerius.'
2538. ' Munitio quippe tunc efficitur praeualida, si diuturna fuerit
excogitatione roborata'; Cassiodorus, Variarum lib. i. epist. 17.
2545. Tullius. This refers to what has already preceded in 2391-2400,
the passage referred to being one from Cicero's De Officiis, ii. 5, where
we are bidden to consider several points, viz. (i) 'quid in quaque re
uerum sinccrumque sit ; (2) quid consentaneum cuique rei sit ; {3) quid
consequens ; (4) ex quo quidque gignatur ; (5) quae cuiusque rei
caussa sit.' All these five points are taken below in due order ; viz.
(i) in 2546 ; (2) in 2550 ; (3) in 2577 ; (4) in 2580 ; and (5) in 2583.
2546. Trouthe ; referring to tieruni in clause (l) in the last note.
2550. Consentinge\ \.^. consentaneum \Xic\^^x%& {p.) vn. note to 2545.
Cf. 2571. MS. HI. has here the false reading ^^/^^/j'/if, but in 1. 2571
it has consentynge.
255L Lat. text : — 'qui et quot et quales.' Thus whiche means 'of
what sort.' The words and luhicJic been they, omitted in MS. E. only,
are thus seen to be necessary ; cf. 1. 2552, where the phrase is repeated.
2558. Cosins germayns ; Lat. ' consanguineos germanos.' Neigh
kinrede, relations near of kin ; cf. ' nis but a fer kinrede ' in 2565.
256L Reward, regard, care ; as above, in 2449 ; (see the note).
2565. Litel sib, slightly related ; fty sib, closely related. Cf. ' ne on
his manges lafe ])e swa neah sib wtere,' nor with the relict of his
kinsman who was so near of kin ; Laws of King Cnut, § vii ; in
Thorpe's Ancient Laws, i. 364.
2570. As the lawe ; Sundby refers to Justinian's Codex, VHL iv. i.
2573. That fiay ; Fr. text — ' que non.'
2577. Consequent ; i. e. ' consequens ' in clause (3), note to 2545.
2580. Engendringe ; i. e. ' ex quo quidque gignatur ' in clause (4),
note to 2545.
2582. Matzner says this is corrupt; but it is quite right, though
obscure. The sense is—' and, out of the taking of vengeance in return
for that, would arise another vengeance ' ; &g. Engendre is here taken
2i6 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
in the sense of 'be engendred' or 'breed'; see the New E. Diet.
The Fr. text is clearer : ' de la vengence se etigendrera autre
vengence.'
2583. Causes ; i. e. 'caussa' in clause (5), note to 2545.
2585. The Lat. text omits O^iens, which seems to be here used as
synonymous with longinqua. ' Caussa igitur iniuriae tibi illatae duplex
fuit efficiois, scilicet rcinotissivia &i proxhna.'
2588. ' Occasio uero illius caussae, quae dicitur caussa acddetifalis,
fuit odium,' &c. So below, the Lat. text has caussa iiiaterialis, caussa
/or»ia/iSy and caussa Jiftalis.
259L // letted Jiat, it tarried not ; Lat. text, 'nee per eos remansit.'
This intransitive use oi letten is awkward and rare. It occurs again
in P. Plowman, C. ii. 204, xx. 76, 331.
2594. Book of Decrees ; Sundby refers us to the Decretum Gratiani ;
P. ii, Caussa i, Ou. i.e. 25 : — ' uix bono peraguntur exitu, quae malo
sunt inchoata principio.'
2596. T/taJ>ostle, the apostle Paul. The Lat. text refers expressly to
the First Epistle to the Corinthians, meaning i Cor. iv. 5 ; but Chaucer
has accommodated it to Rom. xi. 33.
2600. The Lat. text informs us that Melibeus signifies viel bibens.
For similar curiosities of derivation, see note to G. 87. There was
a town called Meliboea (MtXt'/Soia) on the E. coast of Thessaly.
2605. From Ovid, Amor. i. 8. 104 : — ' Impia sub dulci melle uenena
latent.'
2606. From Prov. xxv. 16.
26n. The three enemys, i. e. the flesh, the devil and the world. The
entrance of these into man through the five senses is the theme of
numerous homilies. See especially Sawles Warde, in O. Eng.
Homilies, ed. Morris, First Series, p. 245 ; and the Ayenbite of Inwyt,
ed. Morris, p. 263.
2614. Deedly simtes, the Seven Deadly Sins ; see the Persones Tale.
Fyve tvi'ttes, five senses ; cf. P. Plowman, C. ii. 15, xvi. 257.
2615. Wo/d, willed; pp, of wt7/en. F. text — 'a voulu.' See 2190
above; Leg. of Good Women, 1209; Compl. of Venus, 11 ; P. Plow-
man, B. XV. 258 ; Malor}''s Morte Arthure, bk. xviii. c. 15 — ' [he] myghte
haue slayne vs and he had -wo/d'; and again, in c. 19 — ' I myght haue
ben maryed and I had welded Gower has — 'if that he had wold'',
Conf. Amantis, ii. 9.
2618. Falle, befall, come to pass ; F. text — ' advenir.'
2620. Were, would be ; F. text — 'ce seroit moult grant dommage.'
2623-4. The missing portion is easily supplied. The French text
(MS. Reg. 19 C. vii, leaf 136) has : — ' Et a ce respont Dame Prudence,
Certes, dist elle, le t'octroye que de vengence vient molt de maulx et
de biens ; mais vengence n'appartient pas a vn chascun, fors seule-
ment aux iuges et a ceulx qui ont la iuridicion sur les malfaitteurs.*
Here 'mais vengence' should rather be 'mais faire vengence,' as
in MS. Reg. 19 C. xi. leaf 59, back, and in the printed edition. It is
LI. 2583-656.] THE TALE OF MELIBEUS. 217
clear that the omission of this passage is due to the repetition of
trespassours at the end of 2622 and 2624.
2627. Lat. text — ' nam, ut ait Seneca, Bonis nocet, qui mahs parcit.'
This corresponds to — ' Bonis necesse est noceat, qui parcit malis ' ;
Pseudo-Seneca, De Moribus, Sent. 114; see Publilius Syrus, ed.
Dietrich, p. 90. The Fr. text has : — ' Cellui nuit \aL nuist] aux bons,
qui espargne les mauvais.' Chaucer's translation is so entirely at
fault, that I think his MS. must have been corrupt ; he has taken
nuist aux as maisire, and then could make but little of espargne,
which he makes to mean 'proveth,' i.e. tests, tries the quality of;
perhaps his IMS. had turned espargne (or esparne) into esprouve.
MSS. Cp. Pt. Ln. turn it into reproveth ; this makes better sense, but
contradicts the original still more.
2628. ' Ouoniam excessus tunc sunt in formidine, cum creduntur
iudicibus displicere'; Cassiodorus, Variarum lib. i. epist. 4.
2629. Lat. text : — ' Et alibi dixit, ludex, qui dubitat ulcisci, multos
improbos facit'; slightly altered from Publ. Syrus, Sent. 526:— 'Qui
ulcisci dubitat, inprobos plures facit.'
2630. From Rom. xiii. 4. For spcre, as in all the copies,
Chaucer should ha\e written swerd. The Fr. text has glaive ; Lat.
gladiuin.
2632. Ye shul rctourne or have your rccours to the luge ; explana-
tory of the F. text — ' tu recourras au iuge.'
2633. As the lawe axeth and requy7-eth ; explanatory of the Fr.
text — ' selon droit.' For this use oi axeth (= requires), cf. P. Plowman,
C. i. 21, ii. 34.
2635. Many a strong pas ; Fr. text — ' moult de fors pas.' MS. HL
has : — ' many a strayt passage.'
2638. Not from Seneca, but (as in other places where Seneca is
mentioned) from Publilius Syrus, Sent. 320 (ed. Dietrich) : — ' Male
geritur, quicquid geritur fortunae fide.'
2640. Again from Publilius Syrus, Sent. 189 (ed. Dietrich) : —
'Fortuna uitrea est ; tum quum splendet frangitur.'
2642. Setir (E. sure^ and sikcr are mere variants of the same word ;
the former is O. F. seur, from Lat. ace. securuin ; the latter is from
Lat. s^cicrus, wuth a different accentuation and a shortening of the
second vowel. We also have a third form, viz. secure.
2645. Again from Publ. Syrus, Sent. 173 : — ' Fortuna nimium quem
fouet, stultum facit.'
2650. From Rom. xii. 19 ; cf. Deut. xxxii. 35, Ps. xciv. i.
2653. From Publ. Syrus, Sent. 645: — ' Veterem ferendo iniuriam
inuites nouam.'
2655. Holden over lotue, esteemed too low, too lightly.
2656. From Publ. Syrus, Sent. 487 : — * Patiendo multa {al, inulta]
eueniunt {al. ueniunt] quae nequeas pati.' Mowe suffre, be able to
endure. For mowe, Wright wrongly prints nowe ; MS. HI. has inowe,
correctly.
2i8 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
2663. From Caecilii Balbi Sentcntiac, ed. Friedrich, 1870, no. 162 : —
* Qui non corripit peccantem gnatum, peccare imperat.'
2664. 'And the judges and sovereign lords might, each in his own
land, so largely tolerate wicked men and evil-doers,' &c. Lat. text : —
*si multa maleficia patiuntur fieri.'
2667. Let us now puite, let us suppose ; Fr. text— * posons.' A more
usual phrase is ' putte cas,' put the case ; cf. note to 2681.
2668. As now, at present ; see 2670.
2671. From Seneca, De Ira, ii. 34, § i : — 'Cum pare contendere,
anceps est ; cum superiore, furiosum ; cum inferiore, sordidum.'
2675. From Prov. xx. 3.
2678. From Publilius Syrus, Sent. 483 : — * Potenti irasci sibi peri-
clum est quaerere.'
2679. From Dion. Cato, Dist. iv. 39: —
' Cede locum laesus Fortunae, cede potenti ;
Laedere qui potuit, aliquando prodesse ualebit.'
2681. Yet sette I caas, but I will suppose ; Fr. text — 'posons,* as in
2667 above.
2%S^. First and foreward; Fr. text — ' premierement.' See note to
2431 above.
2685. Tliepoete\ Fr. text, ' le poete.' Not in the Latin text, and the
source of the quotation is unknown. Cf. Luke, xxiii. 41.
2687. Seint Gregorie. Not in the Lat. text ; source unknown.
2692. From i Pet. ii. 21.
2700. Referring to 2 Cor. iv. 17.
2702. From Prov. xix. ii, where the Vulgate has: — 'Doctrina uiri
per patientiam noscitur.'
2703. From Prov. xiv. 29, where the Vulgate has : — ' Qui patiens est
multa gubernatur prudentia.'
2704. From Prov. xv. 18.
2705. From Prov. xvi. 32.
2707. From James, i. 4 : — * Patientia autem opus perfectum habet.'
2713. Corage, desire, inclination ; cf. E. 1254.
2715. The Fr. text is fuller : ' et si ie fais un grant exces, car on dit
que exces n'est corrige que par exces, c'est a dire que oultrage ne se
corrige fors que par oultrage.' — Mr. Perhaps part of the clause has
been accidentally omitted, owing to repetition of ' exces.'
2718. 'Quid enim discrepat a peccante, qui se per excessum nititur
uindicare ? ' — Cassiodorus, Variarum lib. i. epist. 30.
2721. Lat. text : — *ait enim Seneca, Nunquam scelus scelere uindi-
candum.' Not from Seneca ; Sundby refers us to Martinus Dumiensis,
De Moribus, S. 139.
2723. Withouten intetvalle . . . de/ay ; the Fr. text merely has
* sans intervalle.' Chaucer explains the word intervalle.
2729. ' Qui impatiens est sustinebit damnum '; Prov. xix. 19.
2730. (9///^(?/ ///£!:/, in a matter that.
LI. 2663 758.] THE TALE OF MELIBEUS. 219
2731. Lat. text (p. 95) :— ' Culpa est immiscere se lei ad se non
pertinenti.' Sundby refers us to the Digesta, 1. xvii. 36.
2732. From Prov. xxvi. 17.
2733. Outherwhyle, sometimes, occasionally ; cf. 2857. So in Ch.
tr. of Boethius, bk. iii. pr. 12. 119 (vol. ii. p. 89) ; P. Plowman, C. vi. 50,
vii. 160, xxii. 103, &c.
2740. From Ecclesiastes, x. 19 : — 'pecuniae oboediunt omnia.'
2741. All the copies have power; but, as Matzner remarks, we
should rt2id poverte ; the Fr. text \idiS povrete.
2743. Kichesses ben ^(^oode ; the Lat. text here quotes i Tim. iv. 4.
2744. 'Homo sine pccunia est quasi corpus sine anima' is written
on a fly-leaf of a MS. ; see my Pref. to P. Plowman, C-text, p. xx.
2746. All the MSS. have Pamphilles instead of PampJiilus. The
allusion is to Pamphilus Maurilianus, who wrote a poem, well-known
in the fourteenth centur}', entitled Liber de Amore, which is extant in
MSS. (e.g. in MS, Bodley 3703) and has been frequently printed.
Tyrwhitt cites the lines here alluded to from the Bodley MS.
'Dummodo sit diues cuiusdam nata bubulci,
Eligit e mille, quem libet, ilia uirum.'
Sundby quotes the same (with ipsa for ilia) from the Paris edition
of 1 5 10, fol. a iiii, recto. Chaucer again refers to Pamphilus in
F. 1 110, on which see the note.
2748. This quotation is not in the Latin text, and is certainly not
from Pamphilus ; but closely follows Ovid's lines in his Tristia, i. 9. 5 : —
' Donee eris felix, multos numerabis amicos ;
Tempora si fuerint nubila, solus eris.'
See notes to B. 120 and B. 3436.
2751. Neither is this from Pamphilus, but from some author quoted
by Petrus Alfonsi, Discip. Cler. vi. 4, who says: — 'ait quidam
uersificator, Clarificant [al. Glorificant] gazae priuatos nobilitate.'
2752. We know, from the Lat. text, that there is here an allusion to
Horace, Epist. i. 6. 27 '• —
'Et genus ct formam regina pecunia donat.'
2754. The Lat. text has viater criminum, and the Fr. text, mere des
crimes. It is clear that Chaucer has misread mines for critnes, or his
MS. was corrupt ; and he has attempted an explanation by subjoining
a gloss of his own — ' that is to seyn . . . overthrowinge or fallinge doun.'
The reference is to Cassiodorus, Variarum lib. ix. epist. 13: — 'Ut dam
mater criminuiii necessitas tollitur, peccandi ambitus auferatur.'
2756. ' Est una de aduersitatibus huius saeculi grauioribus libero
homini, quod necessitate cogitur, ut sibi subueniat, requirere inimicum';
Petrus Alfonsi, Disciplina Clericalis, iv. 4.
2758. Lat. text : — ' O miserabilis mendicantis conditio ! Nam, si
petit, pudore confunditur ; et si non petit, egestate consumitur ; sed ut
220 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
mcndicet necessitate compellitur '; Innocentius III (Papa), De Con-
temptu Mundi, lib. i. c. i6. See note to B. 99, at p. 142.
2761. ' iNIelius est enimmori quam indigere'; Ecclus.xl. 29; cf. A.V.,
Ecclus. xl. 28. See note to B. 114, at p. 142.
2762. * Melior est mors quam uita amara '; Ecclus. xxx. 17. The Fr.
text has : — 'INIieulx vault la mort amere que telle vie'; where, as in
Chaucer, the adjective is shifted.
2765. How ye shul have yow, how you ought to behave yourself. In
fact, behave is merely a compound of be- and have.
2766. Sokingly, gradually. In the Prompt. Parv. we find 'Esyly, or
sokyfigly, Sensim, paulatim.' And compare the following :— ' Domitius
Corbulo vsed muche to saie, that a mannes enemies in battaill are to be
ouercomed (sic) with a carpenters squaring-axe, that is to saie, sokingly,
one pece after another. A common axe cutteth through at the first
choppe ; a squaring-axe, by a little and a little, werketh the same
effecte.' — Udall, tr. of Erasmus' Apophthegmes, Julius Caesar, § 33.
2768. From Prov. xxviii. 20.
2769. From Prov. xiii. 1 1.
2773. Not in the Latin text.
2775. * Detrahere igitur alteri aliquid, et hominem hominis incom-
modo suum augere commodum, magis est contra naturam, quam mors,
quam paupertas, quam dolor, quam cetera, quae possunt aut corpori
accidere aut rebus extemis'; Cicero, De Officiis, iii. 5.
2779. ' For idleness teacheth much evil '; Ecclus. xxxiii. 27.
2780. From Prov. xxviii. 19 ; cf. xii. 11.
2783. Cf. Prov. xx. 4.
2784. From Dionysius Cato, Distich, i. 2 :—
* Plus uigila semper, nee somno deditus esto ;
Nam diutuma quies uitiis alimenta ministrat.'
2785. Quoted again in G. 6, 7 ; see note to G. 7.
2789. Fool-large, foolishly liberal ; Fr. text, 'fol larges.' Cf. 2810.
2790. Chincherye, miserliness, parsimony ; from the adj. chinche,
which occurs in 2793. Chinchc, parsimonious, miserly, is the nasalised
form oi chiche ', see Havelok, 1763,2941 ; and see Chinch in the New
E. Dictionary. To the examples there given add: — * A Chinche, tenax:
Chincher)', ienacitas^', Catholicon Anglicum.
' But such an other chinche as he
Men wisten nought in all the londe.'
Gower, Conf. Amant. ii. 2SS.
2792. From Dionysius Cato, Distich, iv. 16: —
' Utere quaesitis opibus ; fuge nomen auari ;
Quo tibi diuitias, si semper pauper abundas?^
2795. From Dionysius Cato, Distich, iii. 22 : —
* Utere quaesitis, sed ne uidearis abuti ;
Qui sua consumunt, quum deest, aliena sequuntur.'
LI. 2761-858.] THE TALE OF MELIBEUS. 221
2796. Folily, foolishly. We find M. E. folliche, both adj. and adv.,
2ccvdi follichely , folily as adv. It is spelt/<?///j' in Wyclifte, Num. xii. il,
and in the Troy-book, 573 ; s\so/oli/t, Will, of Palerne, 4596 ; folyly,
Rom. of the Rose, 5942 fsee the footnote).
2800. Weeldinge (so in E., other MSS. weldtnge), wielding, i.e.
power.
2802. Not in the Latin text.
2807. Compare Prov. xxvii. 20.
28n. 'Quamobrem nee ita claudenda est res familiaris, ut earn
benignitas aperire non possit ; nee ita reseranda, ut pateat omnibus';
Cicero, De Officiis, ii. 15.
2818. See Prov. xv. 16 ; xvi. 8.
2820. The prophete, i. e. David ; see Ps. xxxvii. 16.
2824. See 2 Cor. i. 12.
2825. ' Riches are good unto him that hath no sin'; Ecclus. xiii. 24.
2828. From Prov. xxii. i.
2829. The reference seems to be to Prov. xxv. 10 in the Vulgate
version (not in the A. V.) : — ' Gratia et amicitia liberant ; quas tibi
serua, ne exprobrabilis fias.'
2832. The reference is clearly to the following : — * Est enim indigni
[«/. digni] animi signum, famae diligere commodum'; Cassiodorus,
Variarum lib. i. epist. 4. This is quoted by Albertano (p. 120), with
the reading iiigenici for indig7ii\ hence Chaucer's 'gentil.' Matzner
refers us to the same, lib. v. epist. 12 : — ' quia pulchrum est commodum
famae.*
2833. ' Duae res sunt conscientia et fama. Conscientia tibi, fama
proximo tuo ' ; Augustini Opera, ed. Caillou, Paris, 1842, torn, xxi.
p. 347.— ^Ir.
2837. Fr. text :— 'il est cruel et villain.'— Mr.
2841. Lat. text : — ' nam dixit quidam philosophus. Nemo in guerra
constitutus satis diues esse potest. Quantumcunque enim sit homo
diues, oportet ilium, si in guerra diu perseuerauerit, aut diuitias aut
guerram perdere, aut forte utrumque simul et personam.' — p. 102.
2843. See Ecclesiastes, v. 11.
2851. 'With the God of heaven it is all one, to deliver with a great
multitude, or a small company : For the victory of battle standeth
not in the multitude of an host ; but strength cometh from heaven.'
I Mace. iii. 18, 19.
2854. The gap is easily detected and filled up by comparison with
the Fr. text, which Matzner cites from Le Menagier de Paris, i. 226,
thus : — * pour ce . . . que nul n'est certain s'il est digne que Dieu lui doint
victoire ne plus que il est certain se il est digne de r amour de Dieu ou
non.' We must also compare the text from Solomon, viz. Ecclesiastes,
ix. I, as it stands in the Vulgate version.
2857. Outher-iuhyle, sometimes ; see note to 2733.
2858. The secofide book of Kinges, i. e. Liber secundus Regum, now
called 'the second book of Samuel.' The reference is to 2 Sam. xi. 25,
222 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
where the Vulgate has : 'uariiis enim cuentus est belli ; nunc hunc et
nunc ilium consumit gladius,' The A. V. varies.
2860. In as niuchcl ; Fr. text : — ' tant comme il puet bonnement.'
This accounts ior goodly, i. e. meetly, fitly, creditably. Cotgrave has :
' Bonnement, well, fitly, aptly, handsomely, conveniently, orderly, to the
purpose.'
28G1. Salomon; rather Jesus son of Sirach. 'He that loveth
danger shall perish therein'; Ecclus, iii. 26.
2863. The iverre . . nol/u'ng, ' war does not please you at all.'
286G. Selnf Imne is a curious error for Se?iek, Seneca. For the
Fr. text has: — ' Seneque dit en ses escrips,' according to Miitzner;
and MS. Reg. 19 C. xi (leaf 63, col. 2) has ' Seneques.' There has
clearly been confusion between Seneques and Seint iaqties. Hence
the use of the pi. epistles is correct. The reference is to Seneca,
Epist. 94, § 46 ; but Seneca, after all, is merely quoting Sallust : —
'Nam Concordia paruae res crescunt, discordia maximae dilabuntur';
Sallust, Jugurtha, 10.
2870. From Matt. v. 9.
2872. Brige, strife, contention ; ¥. brigue, Low Lat. briga.
'■ Brigue, s. f. ... debate, contention, altercation, litigious wrangling
about any matter'; Cotgrave. See Brigiie in the New E. Diet.
2876. Here HI. has prydc and despysing for homlinesse and
dispreysinge, thus spoiling the sense. The allusion is to our common
saying — Familiarity breeds contempt.
2879. Syen, saw ; Cm. seyen ; Ln. sawe ; Cp. saugh.
288L Lat. text (p. 107) : — ' scriptum est enim. Semper ab aliis
dissensio incipiat, a te autem reconciliatio.' From Martinus Dumi-
ensis, De Moribus, Sent. 49.
2882. The prophete,\.t..Y>2,\\A\ Ps. xxxiv. 14.
2883. The words ' as muchel as in thee is ' are an addition, due to
the Fr. text : — ' tant comme tu pourras.' — Mr.
2884. The use of to after pursue is unusual ; Matzner compares
biseke to, in 2940 below and 2306 above.
288G. From Prov. xxviii. 14.
289L Fr. text : — ' Pour ce dit le philosophe, que les troubles ne sont
pas bien cler voyans.' Cf. the Fr. proverb : — ' A I'oeil malade la
lumiere nuit, an eie distempered cannot brook the light ; sick thoughts
cannot indure the truth'; Cotgrave.
2895, From Prov. xxviii. 23.
2897. This quotation is merely an expansion of the former part of
Eccles. vii. 3, viz. ' sorrow is better than laughter '; the latter part of
the same verse appears in 2900, immediately below.
290L I shal 7iot conne ansivere, I shall not be able to answer; Fr.
text : — ' ie ne sauroie respondre.' — Mr.
2909. From Prov. xvi. 7.
29L5. Fr. text : — ' ie met tout mon fait en vostre disposition.'
—Mr.
LI. 2860-3045] THE TALE OF MELIBEUS. 223
2925. Referring to Ps. xx. 4 (Vulgate) — *in benedictionibus dulce-
dinis'; A. V.— 'with the blessings of goodness,' Ps. xxi. 3.
2930. From Ecclus. vi. 5 : — ' Verbum dulce multiplicat amicos, et
mitigat inimicos.' The A. V. omits the latter clause, having only: —
' Sweet language will multiply friends.'
2931. Fr. text:— 'nous mettons nostra fait en vostre bonne vou-
lente.' — Mr.
293G. Hise aviendes, i.e. amends to him. For hise or his, Cp. Ln.
have him, which is a more usual construction. Cf. ' What shall be thy
amends For thy neglect of truth ? ' Shak., Sonnet loi. 'If I have
wronged thee, seek thy jnends at the law'; Greene, Looking-Glass for
London, ed. Dyce, 1883, p. 122.
2940. Biseke to ; so in 2306 ; see note to 2884.
2945. From Ecclus. xxxiii. 18, 19: — 'Hear me, O ye great men of
the people, and hearken with your ears, ye rulers of the congregation :
Give not thy son and wife, thy brother and friend, power over thee
while thou livest.'
2965. Not from Seneca, but from Martinus Dumiensis, De Moribus,
S. 94 (Sundby). The Lat. text has: — ' ubi est confessio, ibi est
remissio.'
29G7. Neither is this from Seneca, but from the same source as
before. The Lat. text has : — ' Proximum ad innocentiam locum tenet
uerecundia peccati et confessio.'
2973. Lat. text : — ' Nihil enim tam naturale est, quam aliquid dissolui
eo genere, quo colligatum est.' From the Digesta, lib. xvii. 35.
2984. Lat. text : — ' Semper audiui dici. Quod bene potes facere, noli
differre.' Fr. text : — ' Le bien que tu pens faire au matin, n'attens pas
le soir ne I'endemain.'
2986. Messages, messengers ; Cp. messagers ; HI. messageres. See
B. 144, 333. In 2992, 2995, ^^'^ have the form messagers.
2997. Borwes, sureties; as in P. Plowman, C. v. 85. In 3018 it
seems to mean ' pledges ' rather than ' sureties.'
3028. A coveitoiis name, a reputation for covetousness.
3030. From 1 Tim. vi. 10. See C. 334.
3032. Lat. text (p. 120) :— 'Scriptum est enim, Mallem perdidisse
quam turpiter accepisse.' This is from Publilius Syrus, Sent. 479 :—
* Perdidisse ad assem mallem, quam accepisse turpiter.'
3036. Also from P. Syrus, Sent. 293 :—
' Laus noua nisi oritur, etiam uetus amittitur.'
3040. For 'it is writen,' the Fr. text has 'le droit dit.' This
indicates the source. The Lat. text has : — ' priuilegium meretur
amittere, qui concessa sibi abutitur potestate.' This Sundby traces to
the Decretalia Gregorii IX., iii. 31. 18.
3042. Which I irowe . . do; Lat. ' quod non concedo.'
3045. Ye mosie . . curieisly ; Lat. * remissius imperare oportet.'
224 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
3047. Lat. text: — ' Remissius imperanti melius paretur'; from
Seneca, De dementia, i. 24. i.
3049. 'Ait enim Seneca'; the Lat. text then quotes from Publilius
Syrus, Sent. 64: — 'Bis uincit, qui se uincit in uictoria.'
3050. Lat. text: — 'Nihil est laudabilius, nihil magno et praeclaro
uiro dignius, placabilitate atque dementia.' From Cicero, De Officiis,
i. 25. 88.
3054. Of mercy, i.e. on account of your mercy.
3056. 'Male uincit iam quern poenitet uictoriae'; Publilius Syrus,
Sent. 366. Attributed to Seneca in the Latin text.
3059. From James, ii. 13.
3066. Uticonmngc, ignorance; cf. Ayenbite of Inwyt, p. 131 ; Prick
•of Conscience, 1. 169.
3007. Misborfi, borne amiss, misconducted. See Life of Beket,
1. 1248.
The Monk's Prologue.
3079. The tale oiMelihec (as told above) is about a certain Melibeus
and his wife Prudence, who had a daughter called Sophie. One day,
while Melibeus is absent, three of his enemies break into his house,
beat his wife, and wound his daughter. On returning, he takes counsel
as to what must be done. He is for planning a method of revenge,
but his wife advises him to forgive the injuries, and in the end her
counsels prevail.
3082. corptcs Madrian, body of Madrian : which has been inter-
preted in two ways. Urry guessed it to refer to St. Materne, bishop of
Treves, variously commemorated on the 14th, 19th, or 25th of Sep-
tember, the days of his translations being July 18 and October 23.
Mr. Steevens suggested, in a note printed in Tyrwhitt's Glossary, that
the ' precious body ' was that of St. Mathurin, priest and confessor, com-
memorated on Nov. I or Nov. 9. The latter is more likely, since in his
story in the Golden Legende, edit. 1527, leaf 151 back, the expressions
'the precious body' and 'the holy body' occur, and the story explains
that his body would not stay in the earth till it was carried back to
France, where he had given directions that it should be buried.
3083. ' Rather than have a barrel of ale, would I that my dear good
wife had heard this story.' Cf. morsel breed, B. 3624.
lief is not a proper name, as has been suggested, I believe, by some
one ignorant of early English idiom. Cf. ' Dear my lord,' Jul. Caesar,
ii. I. 255 ; and other instances in Abbott's Shakesp. Grammar, sect. 13.
3101. 'Who is willing (or who suffers himself) to be overborne by
eveiybody.'
3108. neighebor, three syllables ; tha7ine, two syllables.
3112. Observe the curious use oi seith for misseith.
3114. Monk. See him described in the Prologue, A. 165.
3116. Rouchester. The MSS. have RoKchesier, (HI. Rowchesire),
LI. 3047-157] THE MONK'S PROLOGUE. 225
shewing that Lo stands alone in the first foot of the line. Tyrwhitt
changed sta7it into siimdeth, but all our seven MSS. have staiit.
According to the arrangement of the tales in Tyrwhitt's edition, the
pilgrims reach Rochester after coming to Sittingborne (mentioned in
the Wife of Bath's Prologue), though the latter is some eleven miles
nearer Canterbury. The present arrangement of the Groups remedies
this. See note to B. 1165, at p. 165.
3117. Ryd forth, ride forward, draw near us.
3119. IV/icr, whether, dan, for Dominus, a title of respect com-
monly used in addressing monks. But Chaucer even uses it of Arcite,
in the Knightes Tale, and of Cupid, Ho. Fame, 137.
3120. The monk's name was Piers. See B. 3982, and the note.
3124. Cf. * He was not pale as a for-pyned goost'; Prol. A. 205.
Jean de Meun says, in his Testament, 1. 1073, that the friars have
good pastures (il ont bonnes pastures).
3127. as to my dootn, in my judgment.
3130. Scan the line — Biit a governoiir wyly and wys. The Petworth
MS. inserts 'bo))' before 'wyly': but this requires the very unlikely
accentuation ' governour ' and an emphasis on a. The line would scan
better if we might insert art, or lyk, after But, but there is no authority
for this.
3132. Read — A wdl-faring persdn'e, after which comes the pause, as
marked in E. and Hn.
3139. The monk's semi-cope, which seems to have been an ample
one, is mentioned in the Prologue, A. 262. In Jack Upland, § 4,
a friar is asked what is signified by his ' wide cope.*
3142. ' Shaven very high on his crown ' ; alluding to the tonsure.
3144. the corn, i.e. the chief part or share.
3145. borelmen, lay-men. Borel means ' rude, unlearned, ignorant,'
and seems to have arisen from a peculiar use of borel or biirel, sb.,
a coarse cloth ; so that its original sense, as an adj., was ' in coarse
clothing,' or * rudely clad.' See barrel and burel in the ^New Eng.
Dictionary. 'v
shri}f!pes, diminutive or poor creatures.
3146. %vrecched impes, poor grafts, weakly shoots. Cf. A. S. impian,
to graft, imp, a graft ; borrowed from Low Lat. impotus^ a graft,
from Gk. f^Kpvros, engrafted.
3152. lussheburghes, light coins. In P. Plowman, B. xv. 342, we are
told that 'in Lussheborwes is a lyther alay (bad alloy), and yet loketh
he lyke a sterlynge.' They were spurious coins imported into England
from Luxembourg, whence the name. See Liber Albus, ed. Riley,
1841, p. 495 ; and Blount's Nomolexicon. Luxembourg is called
Lusscheburghe in the Allit. Morte Arthure, 1. 2388. The importation of
this false money was frequently forbidden, viz. in 1347, 1348, and 1351.
3157. souneth into, tends to, is consistent with ; see Prol. A. 307, and
Sq. Ta., F. 517. The following extracts from Palsgrave's French
Dictionary are to the point. ' I sownde, I appartayne or belong, letens.
:{: * *
* *
Q
226 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
Thys thyng sowndeth to a good puqDOse, Ceste chose tent a bonne fin.^
Also, ' I sownde, as a tale or a report sowndeth to ones honesty or
dyshonesty, le redondc. I promise you that this matter sowndeth moche
to your dishonoure, le vous promets que ceste matycre 7edo7ide fort
a votre dcshonneur^
3160. Sehit Edward. There are two of the name, viz. Edward, king
and martyr, commemorated on March l6, i8, or 19, and the second
King Edward, best known as Edward the Confessor, commemorated on
Jan. 5. In Piers the Plowman, B. xv. 217, we have —
' Edmonde and Edwarde " eyther were kynges,
And seyntes ysette • tyl charite hem folwed.'
But Edward the Confessor is certainly meant ; and there is a remarkable
story about him that he was ' warned of hys death certain dayes before
hee dyed, by a ring that was brought to him by certain pilgrims coming
from Hierusalem, which ring hee hadde secretly given to a poore man
thataskydhys charitie in the name of God and sainte Johanthe Evan-
gelist.' See Mr. Wright's description of Ludlow Church, where are
some remains of a stained glass window representing this story, in the
eastern wall of the chapel of St. John. See also Chambers, Book of
Days, i. 53, 54, where we read — ' The sculptures upon the frieze of the
present shrine (in Westminster Abbey) represent /ourteen scenes in the
life of Edward the Confessor. . . . He was canonized by Pope Alexander
about a century after his death. . . . He was esteemed ihe patron-saiftt
of England until superseded in the thirteenth century by St. George.'
These fourteen scenes are fully described in Brayley's Hist, of West-
minster Abbey, in an account which is chiefly taken from a life of
St. Edward written by Ailred of Rievaulx in 1163. Three ' Lives of
Edward the Confessor ' were edited, for the Master of the Rolls, by
Mr. Luard in 1858. See Morley's Eng. Writers, 1888, ii. 375.
3162. celle, cell. The monk calls it his cell because he was 'the
keper' of it ; Prol. 172.
3163. Tragedie; the final ie might be slurred over before ts,'m
which case we might read for to for to (see footnote) ; but it is
needless. The definition of ' tragedy ' here given is repeated from
Chaucer's own translation of Boethius, which contains the remark —
' Glose. Tragedie is to seyn, a ditee [ditty] of a prosperitee for a tyme,
that endeth in wrecchednesse ' ; bk. ii. pr. 2. 51. This remark is
Chaucer's own, as the word Glose marks his addition to, or gloss upon,
his original. His remark refers to a passage in Boethius immediately
preceding, viz. * Quid tragoediartivi clamor aliud deflet, nisi iridiscreto
ictu fortunam felicia regna uertentem ? ' De Consolatione Philosophiae,
lib. ii. prosa 2. See also the last stanza of ' Cresus ' in the Monkes
Tale (vol. i. p. 268).
3169. exavietron, hexameter. Chaucer is speaking of Latin, not of
English verse ; and refers to the common Latin hexameter used in
heroic verse ; he would especially be thinking of the Thebaid of Statius,
LI.3160-89.] THE MONKES TALE: LUCIFER. 227
the Metamorphoseon Liber of Ovid, the Aeneid of Vergil, and Lucan's
Pharsalia. This we could easily have guessed, but Chaucer has
himself told us what was in his thoughts. For near the conclusion of
his Troilus and Criseyde, which he calls a tragcdie, he says —
* And kis the steppes wheras thou seest pace
Virgile, Ovyde, Omer, Liccan, and Stace'
Lucan is expressly cited in B. 401, 3909.
3170. In prose. For example, Boccaccio's De Casibus Virorum and
De Claris Mulieribus contain 'tragedies' in Latin prose. Cf. 11. 3655,
3910.
317L in vieire. For example, the tragedies of Seneca are in various
metres, chiefly iambic. See also note to 1. 3285.
3177. After hir ages, according to their periods ; in chronological
order. The probable allusion is to Boccaccio's De Casibus Virorum,
which begins with Adam and Nimrod, and keeps tolerably to the right
order. For further remarks on this, shewing how Chaucer altered the
order of these Tragedies in the course of revision, see vol. iii. p. 428.
The Menkes Tale.
For some account of this Tale, see vol. iii. p. 427.
3181. Tragedie\ accented on the second syllable, and riming with
remMte\ cf. B. 3163. Very near the end of Troilus and Criseyde,
we find Chaucer riming it with covu'die. That poem he also calls
a tragedie (v. 1786) —
'Go, litel book, go, litel myn tragedie^ &c.
3183. fillen, fell, nas no, for ne was no, a double negative. Cf. Ch.
tr. of Boethius — 'the olde age of tyme passed, and eek of present
tyme now, is ful of ensaumples how that kinges ben chaunged in-to
wrecchednesse out of hir welefulnesse ' ; bk. iii. pr. 5. 3.
3186. The Harl. MS. has — ' Ther may no man the cours of hir
whiel holde,' which Mr. Wright prefers. But the reading of the Six-text
is well enough here ; for in the preceding line Chaucer is speaking
of Fortune under the image of a person fleeing away, to which he adds,
that no one C2S\. stay her course. Fortune is also sometimes represented
as stationary, and holding an ever-turning wheel, as in the Book of
the Duchesse, 643 ; but that is another picture.
3188. Be war by, take warning from.
Lucifer.
3189. Lucifer, a Latin name signifying light-bringer, and properly
applied to the morning-star. In Isaiah xiv. 12 the Vulgate has — ' Quo-
modo cecidisti de caelo, Lucifer, qui mane oriebaris? corruisti in terram,
qui uulnerabas gentes?' &c. St. Jerome, Tertullian, St. Gregory, and
Q 2
228 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
other fathers, supposed this passage to apply to the fall of Satan. It
became a favourite topic for writers both in prose and verse, and the
allusions to it are innumerable. See note to Piers the Plowman, B. i. 105
(Clar. Press Series). Govver begins his eighth book of the Confessio
Amantis with the examples of Lucifer and Adam.
Sandras, in his Etude sur Chaucer, p. 248, quotes some French lines
from a ' Volucniire,' which closely agree with this first stanza. But it
is a common theme.
3192. slfine, the sin o{ pride, as in all the accounts; probably from
I Tim. iii. 6. Thus Gower, Conf. Amant. lib. i. (ed. Pauli, i. 153) : —
* For Lucifer, with them that felle,
Bar pride with him into helle.
Ther was pride of to grete cost,
Whan he for pride hath heven lost.'
3195. arioiv, art thou. Sathanas, Satan. The Hebrew saichi means
simply an adversary, as in i Sam. xxix. 4 ; 2 Sam. xix. 22 ; &c. A
remarkable application of it to the evil spirit is in Luke x. 18. Milton
also indentifies Lucifer with Satan; Par. Lost, vii. 131 ; x. 425 ; but
they are sometimes distinguished, and made the names of two different
spirits. See, for example, Piers Plowman, B. xviii. 270-283.
3196. Read viiserie, after which follows the metrical pause.
Adam.
3W7. Boccaccio's De Casibus Virorum Illustrium begins with a
chapter ' De Adam et Eua.' It contains the passage — ' Et exagro, qui
postea Datnascenus, . . . ductus in Paradisum deliciarum.' Lydgate, in
his Fall of Princes (fol. a 5), has—
* Of slyme of the erthe, in damascene the feelde,
God made theym abouc eche creature.'
The notion of the creation of Adam in a field whereupon afterwards
stood Damascus, occurs in Peter Comestor's Historia Scholastica,
where we find (ed. 1526, fol. vii) — ' Quasi quereret aliquis, Remansit
homo in loco vbi factus est, in agro scilicet damasceno ? Non. Vbi
ergo translatus est ? In paradisum.' See also Maundeville's Travels,
cap. XV ; Genesis and Exodus, ed. Morris, 1. 207 ; and note in Matzner's
Altenglische Sprachproben, ii. 185.
3199. Cf. * Formatus est homo . . de spurcissimo spermate';
Innocent III., De Miseria Conditionis Humanae, i. I (Koppel).
3200. So Boccaccio — *0 caeca rerum cupiditas ! Hii, quibus rerwn
omnium., dante Deo, erat imperiion^ &c. Cf. Gen. i. 29 ; ii. 16.
Sampson.
3205. The story of Sampson is also in Boccaccio, lib. i. c. 17 (not
19, as Tyrwhitt says). But Chaucer seems mostly to have followed
LI. 3192-235] THE MONKES TALE: SAMPSON. 229
the account in Judges, xiii-xvi. The word annunciat, referring to the
announcement of Samson's birth by the angel (Judges xiii. 3), may have
been suggested by Boccaccio, whose account begins — ' Praenutictante
per angelum Deo, ex Manue Israhclita quodam et pulcherrima eius
vxore Sanson progenitus est.' ihangel'm. I. -^206 = i he angel.
3207. consecrat, consecrated. A good example of the use of the
ending -at ; cf. situate for situated. — M. Shakespeare has consecrate ;
Com. of. Err. ii. 2. 134.
3208. luhyl he viighte see, as long as he preserved his eyesight.
3210. To speke 0/ sirengthe, with regard to strength ; to spoke of is
a kind of preposition.— M. Cf. Milton's Samson Agonistes, 126-150.
3211. ivyves. Samson told the secret of his riddle to his wife. Judges
xiv. 17 ; and of his strength to Delilah, id. xvi. 17.
3215. al to-rente, completely rent in twain. The prefix to- has two
powers in Old English. Sometimes it is the preposition to in composi-
tion, as in towards, or M. E. to-flight ((}. zu/lucht), a refuge. 15ut more
commonly it is a prefix signifying /« tivain, spelt zer- in German, and
dis- in Moeso-Gothic and Latin. Thus to-rente=rfRi in twain ; to-
^raj/= burst in twain, &c. The intensive adverb al, utterly, was used
not merely (as is commonly supposed) before verbs beginning with to-,
but in other cases also. Thus, in William of Palerne, 1. 872, we find —
'He was al a-wondred^ where al precedes the intensive prefix a- =
A. S. of. Again, in the same poem, 1. 661, we have — ^ al bi-weped for
wo,' where al now precedes the prefix bi-. In Barbour's Bruce, ed.
Skeat, x. 596, is the expression —
'For, hapnyt ony to slyde or fall,
He suld be soyne to-fruschit aU
Where al to-Jruschit means utterly broken in pieces. Perhaps the
clearest example of the complete separability of al from to is seen in
1. 3884 of William of Palerne ; —
' Al to-tare his atir • J>at he to-tere mijt ' ;
i. e. he entirely tore apart his attire, as much of it as he could tear apart.
But at a later period of English, when the prefix to- was less understood,
a new and mistaken notion arose of regarding al to as a separable
prefix, with the sense oi all to pieces. I have observed no instance of
this use earlier than the reign of Henry VIII. Thus Surrey, Sonnet 9,
has ^al-to shaken' for shaken to pieces. Latimer has — 'they love
and al-to love (i.e. entirely love) him'; Serm. p. 289. For other
examples, see Al-to in the Bible W'ord-book ; and my notes in Notes
and Queries, 3 Ser. xii. 464, 535 ; also All, § C. 15, in the New E. Diet.
3220. Samson's wife was given to a friend ; Judges, xiv. 20. She
was afterwards burnt by her own people ; Judges, xv. 6.
3224. on every tayl ; one brand being fastened to the tails of two
foxes ; Judg. xv. 4.
3225. comes. The Vulgate has segetes and fruges ; also uineas for
230 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group B.
vynes, and oliuda for oliveres. The plural form comes is not un-
common in Early English. Cf. * Quen thair corns war in don,' i. e.
when their harvests were gathered in ; Spec, of Eng. pt. ii. ed. Morris
and Skcat, p. 70, I. 39. And again, * alle men-sleeris and brenneris of
houses and comes [misprinted co7^es\ ben cursed opynly in parische
chirches'; Wyclif's Works, ed. Arnold, iii. 329.
32.34. ivang-toih, molar tooth. This expression is taken from the
Vulgate, which has — ' Apcruit itaque Dominus mohvein deniem in
maxilla asini '; where the A. V. has only — ' an hollow place that was in
the jaw'; Judg. xv. 19.
3236. Judicum, i. e. Liber Judicum, the Look of Judges. Cf. note
to B. 93, at p. 141.
3237. Gasaji, a corruption of Gazam, the ace. case, in Judg. xvi. I,
Vulgate version.
3244. fie hadde been, there would not have been. Since hadde is
here the subjunctive mood, it is dissyllabic. Read — tuorlde n' hadde.
3245. sicer, from the Lat. sicera, Greek aiKepa, strong drink, is the
word which we now spell ci'dt-r ; see Wyclif s Works, ed. Arnold,
i. 363, note. It is used here because found in the Vulgate version of
Judges xiii. 7 ; ' caue ne uinum bibas, nee s/ceram.' I slightly amend
the spelling of the MSS., which have a'ser, siser, sythir, cyder. Wyclif
has siiher, cyt/ier, sidir, sydur.
3249. twefi/y ivinter, twenty years ; Judg. xvi. 31. The English
used to reckon formerly by wtniers instead o( years ; as may be seen
in a great many passages in the A. S. Chronicle.
3253. DaHda; from Gk. AaXiSd, in the Septuagint. The Vulgate has
Dalila ; but Chaucer (or his scribes) naturally adopted a form which
seemed to have a nearer resemblance to an accusative case, such
being, at that time, the usual practice ; cf. Briseide (from Briseida),
Criseyde and Anelida. Lydgate also uses the form Dalida.
3259. in t/iis array, in this (defenceless) condition.
3264. qtierne, hand-mill. The Vulgate has — 'et clausum in carcere
molere fecerunt'; Judg. xvi. 21. But Boccaccio says— 'ad violas
manuarias coegere.' The word occurs in the House of Fame, 1798;
and in Wyclifs Bible, Exod. xi. 5 ; Mat. xxiv. 41. In the Ayenbite of
Inwyt, ed. Morris, p. 181, the story of Samson is alluded to, and it is
said of him that he ' uil \fcir\ into J)e honden of his yuo [/oes], pet him
deden grinde ale qtiejne ssamuoUiche,' i. e. who made him grind at the
mill shamefully (in a shameful manner). Lydgate copies Chaucer
rather closely, in his Fall of Princes, fol. e 7 : —
'And of despite, after as I fynde.
At their quenies made hym for to grinde.'
3269. Thende, the end. G?////" means (i) a captive, (2) a wretch.
It is therefore used here very justly.
3274. two pliers, better than the reading tiie pilers of MS. E. ;
because two are expressly mentioned ; Judg. x\i. 29.
LI. 3334-85 1 THE MONKES TALE: HERCULES. 231
3282. So Boccaccio — ' Sic aduersa credulitas, sic amantis pietas, sic
niulieris egit inclyta fides. Vt qnem non poterant homines, non
uincula, non ferrum uincere, a mulieribus latrunculis uinceretur.'
Lydgate has the expressions —
* Beware by Sampson your counseyll well to kepe,
Though \inisprinied That] Dalida compleyne, crye, and wepe';
and again : —
* Suffre no nightworm within your counseyll crepe,
Though Dalida compleyne, crj'e, and wepe.'
Hercules.
3285. There is little about Hercules in Boccaccio ; but Chaucer's
favourite author, Ovid, has his story in the Metamorphoses, book ix,
and Heroides, epist. 9. Tyrwhitt, however, has shewn that Chaucer
more immediately copies a passage in Boethius, de Cons. Phil. lib. iv.
met. 7, which is as follows : —
* Herculem duri celebrant labores ;
Ille Centauros domuit superbos ;
Abstulit saeuo spolium leoni ;
Fixit et certis uolucres sagittis ;
Poma cernenti rapuit draconi,
Aureo laeuam grauior metallo ;
Cerberum traxit triplici catena.
\'ictor imniitem posuisse fertur
Pabulum saeuis dominum quadrigis.
Hydra combusto periit ueneno ;
Fronte turpatus Achelous amnis
Ora demersit pudibunda ripis.
Strauit Antaeum Libycis arenis,
Cacus Euandri satiauit iras,
Ouosque pressurus foret altus orbis
Setiger spumis humeros notauit.
Ultimus caelum labor irreflexo
Sustulit collo, pretiumque rursus
Ultimi caelum meruit laboris.'
But it is still more interesting to see Chaucer's own version of this
passage, which is as follows (ed. Morris, p. 147 ; cf. vol. ii. p. 125) : —
'Hercules is celebrable for his harde trauaile ; he dawntede J'e
proude Centauris, half hors, half man ; and he rafte J^e despoylynge
fro ])e cruel lyoun ; })at is to seyne, he slou3 \^ lyoun and rafte hym
hys skyn. He smot Jjc birds J)at hyjten arpijs in ))e palude of lyrne
wi)» certeyne arwes. He rauyssede applis fro \q. wakyng dragoun, &
hys hand was J)e more heuy for |)e goldene metal. He drou5 Cerberus
jje hound of helle by his treble cheyne ; he, ouer-comer, as it is seid,
ha]) put an vnmeke lorde fodre to his cruel hors ; J)is is to sein, ]'at
232 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Groups.
herculcs slouj diomcdes and made his hors to etyn hym. And he,
hercules, slouj Idra ]>e serpent &. brcnde ]>e venym ; and achelaus \>g.
flode, defoulede in his forhede, dreinte his shamefast visage in his
strondes ; \>\s is to seyn, J)at achelaus cou))e transfigure hymself into
dyuerse lykenesse, & as he faujt wi|) ercules, at \)e laste he turnide
hym in-to a bole [/-'////] ; and hercules brak of oon of hys homes,
& achelaus for shame hidde hym in hys r)'uer. And he, hercules,
caste adoun Antheus \>c geaunt in \>e strondes of libye ; & kacus
apaisede \>e wra))))es of euander ; J)is is to sein, ))at hercules slouj ))e
monstre kacus & apaisede \v\\> )>at deej) j'e wra))))e of euander. And
J;c bristlede boor markede wi)) scomes [scums, foam] |;e sholdrcs of
hercules, \)C whiche sholdres ^e heye cercle of heuene sholde f)reste
[tvos to rest upoti]. And \c laste of his labours was, ))at he sustenede
^e heuene upon his nekke unbowed ; & he deseruede eftsoncs |)e
heuene, to ben J>e pris of his laste trauayle.'
And in his House of Fame, book iii. (1. 1413), he mentions —
* Alexander, and Hercules,
That with a sherte his lyf lees.'
3288. Hercules' first labour was the slaying of the Nemean lion,
whose skin he often afterwards wore.
3289. Ccntauros ; this is the very form used by Boethius, else we
might have expected Cenlaurus or Centawes. After the destruction
of the Erymanthian boar, Hercules slew Pholus the centaur; and
(by accident) Chiron. His slaughter of the centaur Nessus ultimately
brought about his own death ; cf. 1. 3318.
3290. Arpies, harpies. The sixth labour was the destruction of the
Stymphalian birds, who ate human flesh.
3291. The eleventh labour was the fetching of the golden apples,
guarded by the dragon Ladon, from the garden of the Hesperides.
3292. The twelfth labour was the bringing of Cerberus from the
lower world.
3293. Biisirus. Here Chaucer has confused two stories. One is,
that Busiris, a king of Egypt, used to sacrifice all foreigners who came
to Egypt, till the arrival of Hercules, who slew him. The other is 'the
eighth labour,' when Hercules killed Diomedes, a king in Thrace,
who fed his mares with human flesh, till Hercules slew him and gave
his body to be eaten by the mares, as Chaucer himself says in his
translation. The confusion was easy, because the story of Busiris
is mentioned elsewhere by Boethius, bk. ii. pr. 6, in a passage which
Chaucer thus translates (see vol. ii. p. 43) : — ' I have herd told of
Busirides, j)at was wont to sleen his gestes [guests'] })at herberweden
[lodged] in his hous ; and he was sleyn him-self of Ercules ))at was
his gest.' Lydgate tells the story of Busiris correctly.
3295. serpettt, i.e. the Lernean hydra, whom Chaucer, in the passage
from Boethius, calls ' Idra [d7r Ydra] the serpent.'
3296. Achelois, seems to be used here as a genitive form from
L1.3388-3I7] THE MONKES TALE: HERCULES. 233
a nominative Achelo ; in his translation of Boethius we find Achelous
and Achelmis. The spelling of names by old authors is often vague.
The line means — he broke one of the two horns of Achelous. The
river-god Achelous, in his fight with Hercules, took the form of a bull,
whereupon the hero broke off one of his horns.
3297. The adventures with Cacus and Antaeus are well known.
3299. The fourth labour was the destruction of the Erj^manthian
boar.
3300. lottge, for a long time ; in the margin of MS. Camb. Univ.
Lib. Dd. 4. 24, is written the gloss diu.
3307. The allusion is to the ' pillars ' of Hercules. The expression
* both ends of the world ' refers to the extreme points of the continents
of Europe and Africa, ivorld standing here for continent. The story
is that Hercules erected two pillars, Calpe and Abyla, on the two sides
of the Strait of Gibraltar. The words ' seith Trophee ' seem to refer
to an author named Trophaeus. In Lydgate's prologue to his Fall of
Princes, st. 41, he says of Chaucer that —
' In youth he made a translacion
Of a boke whiche called is Trophe
In Lumbarde tonge, as men may rede and se ;
And in our vulgar, long er that he deyde.
Gave it the name of Troylus and Creseyde.'
This seems to say that Trophe was the Italian name of a Book (or
otherwise, the name of a book in Italian), whence Chaucer drew his
story of Troilus. But the notion must be due to some mistake,
since that work was taken from the 'Filostrato' of Boccaccio. The
only trace of the name of Trophaeus as an author is in a marginal
note — possibly Chaucer's own — which appears in both the Ellesmere
and Hengwrt MSS., viz. ' Ille vates Chaldeorum Tropheus.' See,
however, vol. ii. p. Iv, where I shew that, in this passage at any
rate, Trophee really refers to Guido delle Colonne, who treats of the
deeds of Hercules in the first book of his Historia Troiana, and
makes particular mention of the famous columns (as to which Ovid
and Boethius are alike silent).
3311. tiiise clcrkes, meaning probably Ovid and Boccaccio. See
Ovid's Heroides, epist. ix., entitled Deianira Herculi, and Metamorph.
lib. ix. ; Boccaccio, De Casibus Virorum Illustrium, lib. i. cap. xviii.,
and De Mulieribus Claris, cap. xxii. See also the Trachineae of
Sophocles, which Chaucer of course never read.
£315. wered, wojti ; so in A. 75, and B. 3320, ivered is the form of the
past tense. Instances of verbs with weak preterites in Chaucer, but
strong ones in modem English, are rare indeed ; but there are several
instances of the contrary, e. g. ivep, slep, tuesh, wex, now wept, slept^
washed, waxed. Wore is due to analogy with bore ; cf. could for cotid.
3317. Both Ovid and Boccaccio represent Deianira as ignorant of
the fatal effects which the shirt would produce. See Ovid, Metam.
234 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. iGroupB.
ix. 133. Had Chaucer written later, he might have included Cower
among the clerks, as the latter gives the story of Hercules and
Deianira in his Conf. Amantis, lib, ii. (ed, Pauli, i. 236), following
Ovid. Thus he says —
'With wepend eye and woful herte
She tok out thilke vnhappy sherte,
As she that wende wel to do.'
3326. For long upbraidings of Fortune, see The Boke of the
Duchesse, 617 ; Rom. Rose, 5407 ; Boethius, bk. i. met. 5 ; &;c.
Nabugodonosor.
3335, Nabugodonosor ; generally spelt Nabuchodo7iosor in copies of
the Vulgate, of which this other spelling is a mere variation. Gower
has the same spelling as Chaucer, and relates the story near the end of
book i. of the Conf, Amantis (ed. Pauli, i, 136). Both no doubt took
it directly from Daniel i-iv,
3338, The vessel is here an imitation of the French idiom ; F,
vaisselle means the plate, as Mr. Jephson well observes. Cf. 1, 3494.
3349. In the word statue the second syllable is rapidly slurred over,
like that in glorie in 1. 3340, See the same effect in the Kn. Tale,
11. 117, 1097 (A. 975, 1955).
3356, t7veye, two ; a strange error for three, whose names are
familiar ; viz, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
Balthasar,
3373, Balthasar ; so spelt by Boccaccio, who relates the story very
briefly, De Cas, Virorum Illust., lib. ii. cap. 19. So also, by Peter
Comestor, in his Historia Scholastica ; and by Gower, Conf. Amant.,
lib, v (ed, Pauli, ii, 365), The Vulgate generally has Baltassar\
Daniel, cap, v.
3379. and iher he lay; cf. 1. 3275 above,
3384, The word tho is supplied for the metre. The scribes have
considered vesselles {sic) as a trisyllable ; but see 11. 3391, 3416, 3418.
3388. Of, for. Cf, ' thank God of al,' i, e. for all ; in Chaucer's
Balade of Trutlf. — M. See note in vol. i. pp. 552-3.
3422. Tyrwhitt has triisteth, in the plural, but thou is used through-
out. Elsewhere Chaucer also has ' on whom we trusted Prol, A, 501 ;
* truste oil fortune,' B. 3326 ; cf, ' syker on to trosten,' P. PI. Crede,
1. 350.
3427, Ddrius, so accented, degree, rank, position,
8429-36. I have no doubt that this stanza was a later addition,
3436. provcrbe. The allusion is, in the first place, to Boethius, de
Cons. Phil., bk. iii. pr. 5 — 'Sed quern felicitas amicum fecit, infortunium
LI. 3336-442.] THE MONKES TALE: ZENOBIA. 235
faciet inimicum '; which Chaucer translates — ' Certes, swiche folk as
weleful fortune maketh freendes, contrarious fortune maketh hem
enemys'; see vol, ii. p. 6^. Cf. Prov. xix. 4 — 'Wealth maketh many
friends ; but the poor is separated from his neighbour,' &c. So also
— ' If thou be brought low, he [i. e. thy friend] will be against thee, and
will hide himself from thy face'; Ecclus. vi. 12. In Hazlitt's Collection
of English Proverbs, p. 235, we find —
* In time of prosperity, friends will be plenty ;
In time of adversity, not one among twenty.'
See also note to 1. 120 above; and, not tp multiply instances, note
St. 19 of Goldsmith's Hermit : —
'And what is friendship but a name,
A charm that lulls to sleep ;
A s/uufe that folloxvs wealtJi or fatiie,
And leaves the wretch to weep ? '
Zenobia.
3437. Cenobia. The story of Zenobia is told by Trebellius Pollio,
who flourished under Constantine, in cap. xxix. of his work entitled Tri-
ginta Tyranni ; but Chaucer no doubt followed later accounts, one of
which was clearly that given by Boccaccio in his De Mulieribus Claris,
cap. xcviii. Boccaccio relates her story again in his De Casibus Viro-
rum, lib. viii. c. 6 ; in an edition of which, printed in 1544, I find
references to the biography of Aurelian by Flavius Vopiscus, to the
history of Orosius, lib. vii. cap. 23, and to Baptista Fulgosius, lib. iv.
cap. 3. See, in particular, chap. xi. of Gibbon's Decline and Fall of
the Roman Empire, where the story of Zenobia is given at length.
Palmyra is described by Pliny, Nat. Hist. lib. v. cap. 21. Zenobia's
ambition tempted her to endeavour to make herself a Queen of the
East, instead of remaining merely Queen of Palmyra ; but she was
defeated by the Roman emperor Aurelian, A. D. 273, and carried to
Rome, where she graced his triumph, a. d. 274. She survived this
reverse of fortune for some years.
Palimerie. Such is the spelling in the best MSS. ; but MS. HI.
reads — 'of Palmire the queene.' It is remarkable that MS. Trin. Coll.
Cam. R. 3. 19 has the reading — 'Cenobia, of Belmary quene,' which
suggests confusion with Bel marie, in the Prol. A. 57 ; but see the note
to that line. It occupied the site of the ancient Tadmor, or ' city of
palmtrees,' in an oasis of the Great Syrian desert. It has been in ruins
since about A. D. 1400.
3441. In the second 7ie in, the e is slurred over; cf. niu, Sq. Ta.,
F.35.
3442. Perse. This (like 1. 3438) is Chaucer's mistake. Boccaccio says
expressly that she was of the race of the Ptolemies of Egypt ; but further
236 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
on he remarks — ' Sic cum Persis et Armenis principibus, vt illos urbani-
tate et facetia superaret.' This may account for the confusion.
3446. Boccaccio says (de Mul. Clar.) — ' Dicunt autem banc a pueritia
sua spretis omnino muliebribus ojficiis, cum iam corpusculum eduxisset
in robur, syluas & nemora incoluisse plurimum, & accinctam pharetra,
ceruis caprisque cursu atque sagittis fuisse infestam. Inde cum in
acriores deuenisset uires, ursus amplecti ausam, pardos, leonesque in-
sequi, obuios expectare, capere & occidere, ac in praedam trahere.'
This accounts for the word ojjice, and may shew how closely Chaucer
has followed his original.
3496. lafte iwt, forbore not ; see A. 492.
3497. She was acquainted with Egyptian literature, and studied
Greek under the philosopher Longinus, author of a celebrated treatise
on 'The Sublime.'
3502. housbonde. Her husband was Odenathus, or Odenatus, the
ruler of Palmyra, upon whom the emperor Gallienus had bestowed the
title of Augustus. He was murdered by some of his relations, and
some have even insinuated that Zenobia consented to the crime. Most
scribes spell the name Onedake, by metathesis for Odenake {Odenate),
like the spelling Adriane for Ariadne.
3507. doon heinflee, cause them (her and her husband) to flee.
3510. Sapor I. reigned over Persia A. D. 240-273. He defeated the
emperor Valerian, whom he kept in captivity for the rest of his life.
After conquering Syria and taking Caesarea, he was defeated by Oden-
atus and Zenobia, who founded a new empire at Palmyra. See Gibbon,
Decline, &c., chap. x.
3511. proces, succession of events, yf/, fell, befell.
3512. title, pronounced nearly as title in French, the e being elided
before /lad.
3515. Peirark. Tyrwhitt suggests that perhaps Boccaccio's book
had fallen into Chaucer^s hands under the name of Petrarch. We may,
however, suppose that Chaucer had read the account in a borrowed
book, and did not certainly know whether Petrarch or Boccaccio was
the author. Instances of similar mistakes are common enough in Early
English. Modern readers are apt to forget that, in the olden times,
much information had to be carried in the memory, and there was
seldom much facility for verification or for a second perusal of a story.
3519. cruelly. The Harl. MS. has the poor reading trewely, mis-
written for crewcly.
3525. Claudius II., emperor of Rome, A. D. 268-270. He succeeded
Gallienus, as Chaucer says, and was succeeded by Aurelian.
3535. Boccaccio calls them Heremianus and Timolaus, so that Hcr-
inanno (as in the iSISS.) should probably be Heremanno. Professor
Robertson Smith tells me that the right names are Herennianus and
Timoleon. The line cannot well be scanned as it stands.
3550. char, chariot. Boccaccio describes this ' currum, quera sibi
ex auro gemmisque praeciocissimum Zenobia fabricari fecerat.'
LI. 3446-563.] THE MONKES TALE : ZENOBIA. 237
3556. charged, heavily laden. She was so laden with chains of
massive gold, and covered with pearls and gems, that she could scarcely
support the weight ; so says Boccaccio. Gibbon says the same.
3562. viironytc. I have no doubt this reading (as in Tyrwhitt)
is correct. All the six MSS. in the Six-text agree in it. The old
printed editions have lucre aiitrcmyte, a mere corruption of were a
u\i\tremytc\ and the Harl. MS. has ivyntcrmytc, which I take to be
an attempt to make sense of a part of the word, just as we have turned
dcrevisse into cray-fish. What the word means, is another question ; it
is perhaps the greatest ' crux ' in Chaucer. As the word occurs nowhere
else, the solution I offer is a mere guess. I suppose it to be a coined
word, formed on the Latin vitream j/iitram, expressing, literally, a glass
head-dress, in complete contrast to a strong helmet. My reasons for
supposing this are as follows.
(1) With regard to mitra. In Low-Latin, its commonest meaning
is a woman's head-dress. But it was especially and widely used as
a term of mockery, both in Latin, Italian, Spanish, and French. The
mitra was the cap which criminals were made to wear as a sign of
degradation ; see Carpenter's Supp. to Ducange, s. v. Mitra ; Vocabu-
lario degli Accad. della Crusca, s. v. Mttera\ and any large Spanish
Diet. s. V. Mitra. Even Cotgrave has — *^ Mitre, mitred ; hooded with
a miter, wearing a miter ; set on a pillory or scaffold, with a initer of
paper on his head.' The chief difficulty in this derivation is the loss
of the r, but Codefroy has a quotation (s. v. mite, 2), which would suit
the sense— 'w//^.f de toile costonnees, et par dessus ung grand chappcl
de fer ou de cuir bouilli.'
(2) With regard to vitream. This may refer to a proverb, probably
rather English than foreign, to which I have never yet seen a reference.
But its existence is clear. To give a man * a glazen hood ' meant, in
Old English, to mock, delade, cajole. It appears in Piers the Plow-
man, B. XX. 171, where a story is told of a man who, fearing to die,
consulted the physicians, and gave them large sums of money, for
which they gave him in return ' a glasen houve,' i. e. a hood of glass,
a thing that was no defence at all Still clearer is the allusion to the
same proverb i?i Chaucer himself, in a passage explained by no previous
editor, in Troil. and Cres. v. 469, where Fortune is said to have an
intention of deluding Troilus ; or, as the poet says,
' Fortune his howve entended bet to glase,'
i. e. literally, Fortune intended to glaze his hoods\M\ better for him, i. e.
to make a still greater fool of him. In the Aldine edition, howue is
printed howen in this passage, but howue occurs elsewhere ; Tyrwhitt
has hove, a common variation oi howue. If this note is unsatisfactory,
I may yet claim to have explained in it at least one long-standing
difficulty ; viz. this line in Troilus. Tyrwhitt long ago explained that,
in Chaucer, the phrases to set a Juan's hood, and to set a jnan's cap,
have a like meaning, viz. to delude him. Chaucer uses verre for glass
238 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group B.
in another passage of a similar character, viz. in Troil. and Cres. ii.
867, where we read —
* And forthy, who that hath an hcde of verre,
Fro cast of stones war him in the werre.*
.3564. a distaf. This is from Boccaccio's other account, in the De
Casibus Virorum. ' Haec nuper imperatoribus admiranda, nunc uenit
miseranda plebeis. Haec nunc galeata concionari militibus assueta,
nunc uelata cogitur muliercularum audire fabellas. Haec nuper Orienti
praesidens sceptra gestabat, nunc Romae subiacens, colum, sicut
ceterae, baiulat.' Zenobia survived her disgrace for some years, living
at Rome as a private person on a small estate which was granted to
her, and which, says Trebellius Pollio, ' hodie Zenobia dicitur.'
Peter, King of Spain.
3565. See vol. iii. p. 429, for the order in which the parts of the Monk's
Tale are arranged. I follow here the arrangement in the Harleian MS.
Peter, king of Castile, born in 1334, is generally known as Pedro the
Cruel. He reigned over Castile and Leon from 1350 to 1362, and his
conduct was marked by numerous acts of unprincipled atrocity. After
a destructive civil war, he fell into the hands of his brother, Don
Enrique (Henry). A personal struggle took place between the brothers,
in the course of which Enrique stabbed Pedro to the heart ; March 23,
1369. See the ballad by Sir Walter Scott, entitled the Death of Don
Pedro, in Lockhart's Spanish Ballads, commencing —
' Henry and Don Pedro clasping
Hold in straining arms each other ;
Tugging hard and closely grasping,
Brother proves his strength with brother.'
It is remarkable that Pedro was very popular with his own party,
despite his crimes, and Chaucer takes his part because our Black
Prince fought on the side of Pedro against Enrique at the battle of
Najera, April 3, 1367 ; and because John of Gaunt married Constance,
daughter of Pedro, about Michaelmas, 1 371.
3573. See the description of Du Gueschlin's arms as given below.
The ' field ' was argent, and the black eagle appears as if caught by
a rod covered with birdlime, because the bend dexter across the shield
seems to restrain him from flying away. The first three lines of the
stanza refer to Bertrand Du Gueschlin, who * brew,' i. e. contrived
Pedro's murder, viz. by luring him to Enrique's tent. But the last three
lines refer to another knight who, according to Chaucer, took a still
more active part in the matter, being a worker in it. This second
person was a certain Sir OHver Mauny, whose name Chaucer conceals
under the synonym of luicked nest, standing for O. Fr. matt tit, where
LI. 3564-73.] THE MONKES TALE : PETER OF SPAIN. 239
7nmc is O. Fr. for ;;/«/, bad or wicked, and ni is O. Fr. for nid, Lat.
nidtis, a nest. Observe too, that Chaucer uses the word need^ not
deed. There may be an excellent reason for this ; for, in the course of
the struggle between the brothers, Enrique was at first thrown, * when
(says Lockhart) one of Henry's followers, seizing Don Pedro by the
leg, turned him over, and his master, thus at length gaining the upper
hand, instantly stabbed the king to the heart, Froissart calls this
man the Vicomte de Roquebetyn, and others the Bastard of Anisse.'
I have no doubt that Chaucer means to tell us that the helper in
Enrique's need was no other than Mauny. He goes on to say that
this iMauny was not like Charles the Great's Oliver, an honourable
peer, but an Oliver of Armorica, a man like Charles's Ganelon, the
well-known traitor, of whom Chaucer elsewhere says (Book of the
Duchess, 1. 1 121) —
'Or the false Genelon,
He that purchased the treson
Of Rowland and of Olivere.'
This passage has long been a puzzle, but was first cleared up in an
excellent letter by Mr. Furnivall in Notes and Queries, which I here
subjoin ; I may give myself the credit, however, of identifying * wicked
nest ' with O. Fr. mau ni.
' The first two lines [of the stanza] describe the arms of Bertrand da
Guesclin, which were, a black double-headed eagle displayed on a silver
shield, with a red band across the whole, from left to right [in heraldic
language, a bend dexter, gules] — " the lymrod coloured as the glede" or
live coal— as may be seen in Anselme's Histoire Genealogiqtiede France,
and a MS. Genealogies de France in the British Museum. Next, if we
turn to Mr. D. F. Jamison's excellent Life and Times of Bertrand du
Guesclin, we not only find on its cover Bertrand's arms as above
described, but also at vol. ii. pp. 92-4, an account of the plot and murder
to which Chaucer alludes, and an identification of his traitorous
or " Genylon " Oliver, with Sir Oliver de I^Iauny of Brittany (or
Armorica), Bertrand's cousin [or, according to Froissart, cap. 245, his
nephew].
'After the battle of Monteil, on March 14, 1369, Pedro was besieged
in the castle of Monteil near the borders of La Mancha, by his brother
Enrique ; who was helped by Du Guesclin and many French knights.
Finding escape impossible, Pedro sent Men Rodriguez secretly to Du
Guesclin with an offer of many towns and 200,000 gold doubloons if
he would desert Enrique and reinstate Pedro. Du Guesclin refused the
offer, and " the next day related to his friends and kinsmen in the camp,
and especially to his cousin. Sir Oliver de Mauny, what had taken
place." He asked them if he should tell Enrique ; they all said yes : so
he told the king. Thereupon Enrique promised Bertrand the same
reward that Pedro had offered him, but asked him also to assure Men
Rodriguez of Pedro's safety if he would come to his (Du Guesclin's)
lodge. Relying on Bertrand's assurance, Pedro came to him on
240 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
March 23 ; Enrique entered the lodge directly afterwards, and after
a struggle, stabbed Pedro, and seized his kingdom.
* We see then that Chaucer was justified in asserting that Du Guesclin
and Sir Oliver Mauny **brew this cursednesse" ; and his assertion has
some historical importance ; for as his patron and friend, John of
Gaunt, married one of Pedro's daughters [named Constance] as his
second wife [Michaelmas, 1371], Chaucer almost certainly had the
account of Pedro's death from his daughter, or one of her attendants,
and is thus a witness for the truth of the narrative of the Spanish
chronicler Ayala, given above, against the French writers, Froissart,
Cuvelier, &c., who make the Be'gue de Villaines the man who inveigled
Pedro. This connexion of Chaucer with John of Gaunt and his second
wife must excuse the poet in our eyes for calling so bad a king as Pedro
the Cruel " worthy " and " the glorie of Spayne, whom Fortune heeld so
hy in magestee.''
' In the Corpus MS. these knights are called in a side-note Bertheuw
Claykyw (which was one of the many curious ways in which Du
Guesclin's name was spelt) and 01yui?r Mawny ; in MS. Harl. 1758
they are called Barthilmewe Claykeynne and Olyuer Mawyn ; and in
MS. Lansdowne 851 they are called Betelmewe Claykyn and Oliuer
Mawnye. Mauni or Mauny was a well-known Armorican or Breton
family. Chaucer's epithet of "Genilon" for Oliver de Mauny is
specially happy, because Genelon was the Breton knight who betrayed
to their death the great Roland and the flower of Charlemagne's
knights to the Moors at Roncesvalles. Charles's or Charlemagne's
great paladin, Oliver, is too well known to need more than a bare
mention.' — F. J. Furnivall, in Notes and Queries, 4th Series, viii. 449.
Peter, King of Cyprus.
3581. In a note to Chaucer's Prologue, A. 51, Tyrwhitt says —
' Alexandria in Egypt was won, and immediately aftenvards abandoned,
in 1365, by Pierre de Lusignan, king of Cyprus. The same Prince, soon
after his accession to the throne in 1352, had taken Satalie, the antient
Attalia; and in another expedition about 1367 he made himself master
of the town of Layas in Armenia. Compare 11 Memoire sur les
Ouvrages de Guillaume de Machaut, Acad, des Ins. tom. xx. pp. 426,
432, 439 ; and Memoire sur la Vie de Philippe de Maizieres, tom. xvii.
p. 493.' He was assassinated in 1369. Cf. note to A. 51.
Barnabo of Lombardy.
3589. ' Bemabo Visconti, duke of Milan, was deposed by his nephew
and thrown into prison, where he died in 1385.' — Tyrwhitt. This date
of Dec. 1 8, 1 385 is that of the latest circumstance incidentally referred to
in the Canterbury Tales. Chaucer had been sent to treat with Visconti
LI. 3581-640] THE MONKES TALE: UGOLINO. 241
in 1378, so that he knew him personally. See Froissart, bk. ii. ch. 158 ;
Engl. Cyclopaedia, s. v. Visconti ; Furnivall's Trial Forewords, p. 109.
And see vol. i. p. xxxii.
Ugolino of Pisa.
3597. ' Chaucer himself has referred us to Dante for the original of
this tragedy : see Inferno, canto xxxiii.' — Tyrwhitt. An account of
Count Ugolino is given in a note to Gary's Dante, from A'illani, lib. vii.
capp. 120-127. This account is different from Dante's, and represents
him as very treacherous. He made himself master of Pisa in July
1288, but in the following March was seized by the Pisans, who threw
him, with his two sons, and two of his grandsons, into a prison, where
they perished of hunger in a few days. Chaucer says three sons, the
eldest being five years of age. Dante sa.ys four sons.
3606. Roger; i.e. the Archbishop Ruggieri degli Ubaldini, who was
Ugolino's enemy.
3616. This line is imperfect at the caesura ; accent buf. Tyrwhitt
actually turns lierdc into /icred, to make it dissyllabic ; but such an
'emendation' is not legitimate. The Harl. MS. has — 'He herd it
wel, but he saugh it nought'; where Mr. Jephson inserts ne before
saugh without any comment. Perhaps read — he [ne] spak.
'The hour drew near
When they were wont to bring us food ; the mind
Of each misgave him through his dream, and I
Heard, at its outlet underneath, lock'd up
The horrible tower : whence, tittering not a word,
I look'd upon the visage of my sons.
I wept not : so all stone I felt within.
They wept : and one, my little Anselm, cried,
" Thou lookest so ! Father, what ails thee ? " ' Sic.
Caryl's Dante.
3621. Dante does not mention the ages ; but he says that the son
named Gaddo died on the fourth day, and the other three on the fifth and
sixth days. Observe that Chaucer's tender lines, II. 3623-8, are /ns own.
3624. Morsel breed, morsel of bread ; cf. barel ale for barrel of ale,
B. 3083.— M.
3636. ' I may lay the blame of all my woe upon thy false wheel.'
Cf. B. 3860.
3640. two ; there were now but two survivors, the youngest, accord-
ing to Chaucer, being dead.
' They, who thought
I did it through desire of feeding, rose
O' the sudden, and cried, " Father, we should grieve
Far less, if thou wouldst eat of us : thou gavest
These weeds of miserable flesh we wear.
And do thou strip them off from us again." '
Car}''s Dante.
242 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
3651. Datit; i.e. Dante Alighieri, the great poet of Italy, born in
1265, died Sept. 14, 1321. Chaucer mentions him again in his House
of Fame, book i., as the author of the Inferno, in the Prologue to
the Legend of Good Women, 1. 360, and in the Wyf of Bathes Tale,
D. 1 126.
Nero.
3655. Swetonius ; this refers to the Lives of the Twelve Caesars by
Suetonius ; but it would be a mistake to suppose that Chaucer has
followed his account very closely. Our poet seems to have had a habit
of mentioning authorities whom he did not immediately follow, by which
he seems to have meant no more than that they were good authorities
upon the subject. Here, for instance, he merely means that we can
find in Suetonius a good account of Nero, which will give us all minor
details. But in reality he draws the story more immediately from other
sources, especially from Boccaccio, De Casibus Virorum, lib. vii. cap. 4,
from the Roman de la Rose, and from Boethius, de Cons. Philos. lib. ii.
met. 6, and lib. iii. met. 4. The English Romaunt of the Rose does not
contain the passage about Nero, but it is interesting to refer to Chaucer's
translation of Boethius. Vincent of Beauvais has an account of Nero,
in his Speculum Historiale, lib. ix. capp. I-7, in which he chiefly
follows Suetonius. See also Orosius, lib. vii. 7, and Eutropius, lib. vii.
3657. South; the MSS. have North, but it is fair to make the
correction, as Chaucer certainly knew the sense of Septemtriojin, and
the expression is merely borrowed from the Roman de la Rose,
ed. Meon, I. 6271, where we read,
' Cis desloiaus, que ge ci di ;
Et d'Orient et de Midi,
D'Occident, de Septentrion
Tint il la juridicion.'
And, in his Boethius, after saying that Nero ruled from East to West,
he adds — 'And eke J)is Nero gouernede by Ceptre alle ))e peoples J)at
ben vndir \t colde sterres |)at hy^ten J)e seuene triones ; ))is is to seyn,
he gouernede alle ])e poeples ))at ben vndir J)e parties of |)e nor))e. And
eke Nero gouerned alle \& poeples ))at \& violent wynde Nothus
scorchi]>, and bakij) ))e brennynge sandes by his drie hete ; )5at is to
seyne, alle ))e poeples in ))e soupe' \ ed. Morris, p. 55 (cf. vol. ii. p. 45).
3663. From Suetonius ; cf. Lounsbury, Studies in Chaucer, ii. 285.
3665. This is from Suetonius, who says — ' Piscatus est rete aurato,
purpura coccoque funibus nexis'; cap. xxx. So also Orosius, vii. 7;
Eutropius, vii. 9.
3669. This passage follows Boethius, bk. ii. met. 6, very closely, as
is evident by comparing it with Chaucer's translation (see vol. ii. p. 44).
' He leet brenne the citee of Rome, and made sleen the senatoures.
And he, cruel, whylom slew his brother. And he was maked
LI. 3651-761 1 THE MONKES TALE: HOLOFERNES. 243
moist with the blood of his moder ; that is to seyn, he leet sleen and
slitten the body of his moder, to seen wher he was conceived ; and he
loked on every halve upon her colde dede body ; ne no tere ne wette
his face ; but he was so hard-herted that he mighte ben domesman, or
luge, of hir dede beautee. . . . Alias, it is a grevous fortune, as ofte as
wikked swerd is ioigned to cruel venim ; that is to seyn, venimous
crueltee to lordshippe.' Thus Chaucer himself explains dcwies/nan
(1. 3680) by luge, i.e. judge. In the same line ded-e is dissyllabic.
3685. a maister; i.e. Seneca, mentioned below by name. In the
year 65, Nero, wishing to be rid of his old master, sent him an order
to destroy himself. Seneca opened a vein, but the blood would not flow
freely ; whereupon, toexpedite its flow, he entered into a warm bath, and
thence was taken into a vapour stove, where he was suffocated. 'Nero
constreynede Senek, his familier and his mayster, to chesen on what
deeth he wolde deyen ' ; Chaucer's Boethius, lib. iii. pr. 5. 34 (vol. ii. 63).
3G92. * It was long before tyranny or any other vice durst attack
him ' ; literally, ' durst let dogs loose against him.' To uncouple is to
release dogs from the leash that fastened them together ; see P. PI. B.
pr. 206. Compare — •
' At the uncoupling of his houndes.'
Book of the Duchesse, 1. 377.
'The laund on which they fought, th' appointed place
In which th' uncoupled hounds began the chace.'
Dryden ; Palamon and Arcite, bk. ii. 1. 845.
3720. 'Where he expected to find some who would aid him.'
Suetonius says — ' ipse cum paucis hospitia singulorum adiit. Verum
clausis omnium foribus, respondente nuUo, in cubiculum rediit,' &c. ;
cap. xlvii. He afterwards escaped to the villa of his freedman Phaon,
four miles from Rome, where he at length gave himself a mortal wound
in the extremity of his despair. Cf. Rom. de la Rose, 6459-76.
3736. girden of, to strike off; cf. ' gurdeth of gyles hed,' P. PI. B. ii.
201. h. gird is also a sharp striking taunt or quip. — M.
Holofernes.
3746. Oloferne. The story of Holofernes is to be found in the
apocryphal book of Judith.
3750. For lestfige, for fear of losing, lest men should lose.
3752. ' He had decreed to destroy all the gods of the land, that all
nations should worship Nabuchodonosor only,' &c. ; Judith, iii. 8.
3756. Eliachim. Tyrwhitt remarks that the name of the high priest
was Joacim ; Judith, iv. 6. But this is merely the form of the name in
our EngUsh version. The Vulgate version has the equivalent form
Eliachim ; cf. 2 Chron. xxxvi. 4.
3761. tipright, i. e. on his back, with his face upwards. See Knightes
Tale, 1. 1 1 50 (A. 2008), and the note to A. 4194.
R 2
244 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [GronpB.
Antiochus.
3765. Antiochus Epiphanes, King of Syria (B.C. 175-164). Para-
phrased from 2 Maccabees, ix. 7, 28, 10, 8, 7, 3-7, 9-12, 28.
Alexander.
3821. There is a whole cycle of Alexander romances, in Latin,
French, and English, so that his story is common enough. There is
a good life of him by Plutarch, but in Chaucer's time the principal
authority for an account of him was Quintus Curtius. See Ten Brink,
Hist. Eng. Lit., bk. ii. sect. 8.
3826. ' They were glad to send to him (to sue) for peace.'
3843. wri/e, should write, pt. subj. ; hence the change of vowel from
indie, luroot. — M. The / is short.
3845. 'So Alexander reigned twelve years, and then died'; I Mac.
i. 7. Machabee, i.e. the first book of the Maccabees.
3850. Quintus Curtius says that Alexander was poisoned by Antipa-
ter ; and this account is adopted in the romances. Cf. Barbour's Bruce,
i- 533-
3851. 'Fortune hath turned thy six (the highest and most fortunate
throw at dice) into an nee (the lowest).' Cf. note to B. 124.
38G0. * Which two (fortune and poison) I accuse of all this woe.'
Julius Caesar.
8862. For humble ^^^Tyrwhitt, Wright, and Bell print huvibhhede,
as in some MSS. But this word is an objectionable hybrid compound,
and I think it remains to be shewn that the word belongs to our
language. In the Knightes Tale, Chaucer has hnmblesse, and in the
Persones Tale, Jniniilitee. Until better authority for /lumblehede can
be adduced, I am content with the reading of the four best MSS.,
including the Harleian, which Wright silently alters.
3863. Julius. For this story Chaucer refers us below to Lucan,
Suetonius, and Valerius ; see note to 1. 3909. There is also an interest-
ing life of him by Plutarch. Boccaccio mentions him but incidentally.
3866. tributdrie ; observe the rime with aduersdrie. Fortune in
1. 3868 is a trisyllable; so also in 1. 3876.
3870. 'Against Pompey, thy father-in-law.' Rather, 'son-in-law*;
for Caesar gave Pompey his daughter Julia in marriage.
3875. puttest ; to be read z.%puifst\ and thorient as in 1. 3883.
3878. Pompeius. Boccaccio gives his life at length, as an example
of misfortune ; De Casibus Virorum, lib. vi. cap. 9. He was killed
Sept. 29, B. c. 48, soon after the battle of Pharsalia in Thessaly (1. 3869).
3881. ]mn, for himself; but in the next line it means 'to him.' — M.
3885. Chaucer refers to this triumph in the Man of Lawes Tale,
B. 400 ; but see the note. Cf. Shak. Henry V, v. prol. 28.
L1.382I-9U.] THE MONKES TALE: JULIUS CAESAR. 245
3887. Chaucer is not alone in making Brutus and Cassius into one
person ; see note to 1. 3892.
389L cast^ contrived, appointed; pp., after hath.
3892. boydekins, lit. bodkins, but with the signification of daggers.
It is meant to translate the hsit.pugio, a poniard. In Barbour's Bruce,
i. 545, Caesar is said to have been slain with a weapon which in one
edition is called z. piinsoun, in another a botkin, and in the Edinburgh
MS. a pusounc, perhaps an error for piaisoune, since Halliwell's
Dictionary gives the form piincJuon. Hamlet uses bodkin for a dagger ;
Act iii. sc. I. 1. "j^i. In the margin of Stowe's Chronicle, ed. 1614, it is
said that Caesar was slain with bodkins ; Nares' Glossarj'. Nares also
quotes — 'The chief woorker of this murder was Brutus Cassius, with 260
of the senate, all having bodkins in their sleeves'; Serp. of Division,
prefixed to Gorboduc, 1590.
3906. lay on deying, lay a-dying. In 1. 3907, ^cr^/= mortally
wounded.
3909. recomende, commit. He means that he commits the full telling
of the storj' to Lucan, &c. In other words, he refers the reader to
those authors. Cf. Lounsbury, Studies in Chaucer, ii. 254, 274.
Lucan (born A. D. 39, died A. D. 65 ) was the author of the Pharsalia, an
incomplete poem in ten books, narrating the struggle between Pompey
and Caesar. There is an English translation of it by Rowe.
Suetonius Tranquillus (born about A. D. 70) wrote several works, the
principal of which is The Lives of the Twelve Caesars.
Valerius. There were two authors of this name, ( i j Valerius Flaccus,
author of a poem on the Argonautic expedition, and (2) Valerius Maxi-
mus, author of De Factis Dictisque Memorabilibus Libri ix. Mr. Jeph-
son says that Valerius Flaccus is meant here, 1 know not why. Surely
the reference is to Valerius Maximus, who at least tells some anecdotes
of Caesar ; lib. iv. c. 5 ; lib. vii. cap. 6.
3911. loord and ende, beginning and end ; a substitution for the
older formula ord and ejide. Tyrwhitt notes that the suggested
emendation oi ord for word wa.s proposed by Dr. Hickes, in his Anglo-
Saxon Grammar, p. 70. Hickes would make the same emendation in
Troil. and Cres. v. 1669 ;
* And of this broche he tolde him ord and ende,'
where the editions have word. He also cites the expression ord and
ende from Casdmon ; see Thorpe's edition, p. 225, 1. 30. We also find
from oj-de 0^ ende— from beginning to end, in the poem of Elene
(Vercelli MS.), ed. Grein, 1. 590. O^'de and ende occurs also at a later
period, in the Ormulum, 1. 6775 ; and still later, in Floriz and Blanche-
flur, 1. 47, ed. Lumby, in the phrase,
* Ord and ende he haf) him told
Hu blauncheflur was ))arinne isold.'
Tyrwhitt argues that the true spelling of the phrase had already become
246 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group B.
corrupted in Chaucer's time, and such seems to have been the fact, as
all the MSS. have word. See Zupitza's note to Guy of Warwick, 1. 7927,
where more examples are given ; andcf my note to Troil. ii. 1495. Ord
ividende explains our modern odds and ends ; see Garnett's Essays, p. yj.
Moreover, it is not uncommon to find a lu prefixed to a word where it is
not required etymologically, especially before the vowel o. The examples
wocks, oaks, won^ one, ivodur, other, -wostus, oast-house, woi/i, oath,
wo/s, oats, wolde, old, are all given in Halliwell's Prov. Dictionary.
Croesus.
3917. Cresus ; king of Lydia, 1;. c. 560-546, defeated by Cyrus at
Sardis. Cyrus spared his life, and Croesus actually survived his bene-
factor. Chaucer, however, brings him to an untimely end. The story
of Croesus is in Boccaccio, De Casibus Virorum, lib. iii. cap. 20. See
also Herodotus, lib. i ; Plutarch's life of Solon, &c. But Boccaccio
represents Croesus as sursiving his disgraces. Tyrwhitt says that the
story seems to have been taken from the Roman de la Rose, 11. 6312-
6571 fed. Me'on) ; where the English Romaunt of the Rose is defective.
In Chaucer's translation of Boethius, bk. ii. pr. 2, see vol. ii. p. 28, wc
find this sentence : 'Wistest thou not how Cresus, the king of
Lydiens, of whiche king Cyrus was ful sore agast a litel biforn, that this
rewliche {pitiable] Cresus was caught of [^y] Cyrus, and lad to the fyr to
ben brent ; but that a rayn descendede doun fro hevene, that rescowede
him? ' In the House of Fame, bk. i. 11. 104-6, we have an allusion to
the * avision ' [z'ision, dream] of
' Cresus, that was king of Lyde,
That high upon a gebet dyde.'
See also Nonne Pr. Ta. 1. 318 (B. 4328). The tragic version of the
fate of Croesus is given by Vincent of Beauvais, Speculum Historiale,
iii. 17; and I give an extract, as it seems to be the account which
is followed in the Roman de la Rose. It must be premised that
Vincent makes Croesus to have been taken prisoner by Cyrus three
times.
'Alii historiographi narrant, quod in secunda captione, iussit eum
Cyrus rogo superponi et assari, et subito tanta pluuia facta est, vt
eius immensitate ignis extingueretur, vnde occasionem repperit eua-
dendi. Cumque postea hoc sibi prospere euenisse gloriaretur, et
opum copia nimium se iactaret, dictum est ei a Solone quodam sapien-
tissimo, non dcbere quemquam in diuitiis et prosperitate gloriari.
Eadem nocte uidit insomnis quod Jupiter eum aqua perfunderet, et sol
extergeret. Quod cum filiae suae mane indicasset, ilia (\t res se habe-
bat) prudenter absoluit, dicens : quod cruci esset afifigendus et aqua
perfundendus et sole siccandus. Ouod itademum contigit, nam postea
a Cyro crucifixus est.' Compare the few following lines from the
Roman de la Rose, with 11. 3917-22, 3934-8, 394 1, and 1. 3948 : —
LI. 3917-993-1 THE NONNE PRESTES PROLOGUE. 247
' Qui refu roi de toute Lyde ;
Puis li mist-l'en ou col la bride,
Et fu por ardre au feu livrds,
Quant par pluie fu delivres,
Qui le grant feu fist tout estraindre : . . .
Jupiter, ce dist, le lavoit,
Et Phebus la toaille avoit,
Et se penoit de I'essuier . .
Bien le dist Phanie sa fille,
Qui tant estoit saige et soutille . . .
L'arbre par le gibet vous glose,' &c.
3951. The passage here following is repeated from the Menkes Pro-
logue, and copied, as has been said, from Boethius, bk. ii. pr. 2. It is
to be particularly noted that the passage quoted from Boethius in the
note to B. 3917 almost immediately precedes the passage quoted in the
note to B. 3163.
3956. See note to B. 3972 below.
The Nonne Prestes Prologue.
3957. the knight. See the description of him, Prol. A. 43.
3961. for me, for myself, for my part. Cp. the phrase ' as for
me.'— M.
3970. ' By the bell of Saint Paul's church (in London).'
8972. The host alludes to the concluding lines of the Menkes Tale,
1. 3956, then repeats the words 710 remedie from 1. 3183, and cites the
word biwaillc from 1. 3952. Compare all these passages.
3982. Piers. We must suppose that the host had by this time learnt
the monk's name. In B. 3120 above, he did not know it.
3984. 'Were it not for the ringing of your bells' ; lit. were there not
a clinking of your bells (all the while). * Anciently no person seems
to have been gallantly equipped on horseback, unless the horse's bridle
or some other part of the furniture was stuck full of small bells. Vincent
of Beauvais, who wrote about 1264, censures this piece of pride in the
knights-templars ; Hist. Spec. lib. xxx. c. 85' ; &c.— Warton, Hist. Eng.
Poetry (ed. Hazlitt), ii. 160 ; i. 264. See also note to Prol. A. 170.
3990. ' Ubi auditus non est, non effundas sermonem'; Ecclus.xxxii. 6.
(Vulgate) ; the A. V. is different. See above, B. 2237. The common
proverb, * Keep your breath to cool your broth,' nearly e.xpresses
what Chaucer here intends.
3993. substance is explained by Tyrwhitt to mean 'the material
part of a thing.' Chaucer's meaning seems not very different from
Shakespeare's in Love's La. Lost, v. 2. 871 —
* A jest's prosperity lies in the ear
Of him that hears it ; never in the tongue
Of him that makes it.'
248 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
3995. ' For the propriety of this remark, see note to Proh A. 166';
Tyrwhitt.
4000. Sir ; ' The title of 5/rwas usually given, by courtesy, to priests,
both secular and regular'; Tyrwhitt. Tyrwhitt also remarks that, ' in
the principal modern languages, John, or its equivalent, is a name of
contempt or at least of slight. So the Italians use Giantn, from whence
Zani [Eng. ::ony^ ; the Spaniards y«i;;/, as Bobo Juan, a foolish John ;
the French yiffl«, with various additions.' The reason (which Tyrwhitt
failed to see) is simply iha.i John is one of the commonest of common
names. For example, twenty-three popes took that name ; and cf. our
phrase y(?//« Bull, which answers to the Yrcnchjeafi Crapaud, and the
Russian Ivan Ivanovitch, ' the embodiment of the peculiarities of the
Russian people ' ; Wheeler's Noted Names of Fiction. Ivan Ivanovitch
would be John Johnson in English and Evan Evans in Welsh. Hence
sir John became the usual contemptuous name for a priest ; see abun-
dant examples in the Index to the Parker Society's publications.
4004. serve has two syllables ; hence re/;, in the Harl, IMS., is per-
haps better than rek/ce of the other MSS. A bene, the value of a bean ;
in the INlilleres Tale a kers (i.e. a blade of grass) occurs in a similar
manner (A. 3756) ; which has been corrupted into ' not caring a cuise ' !
4006. Ye, yea, is a mild form of assent ; yis is a stronger form,
generally followed, as here, by some form of asseveration. See note
to B. 1900 above.
4008. attamed, commenced, begun. The Lat. a/taniifiare and Low
Lat. intaminare are equivalent to contaniinare, to contaminate, soil,
spoil. From Low Lat. intandnare comes F. eniuDier, to cut into, attack,
enter upon, begin. From attaminare comes the M. E. attamc or
atame, with a similar sense. The metaphor is taken from the notion
of cutting into a joint of meat or of broaching or opening a cask. This
is well shewn by the use of the word in P. Plowman, B. xvii. 68, where
it is said of the Good Samaritan in the parable that he 'breyde to his
boteles, and bothe he aianiede,'' i.e. he went hastily to his bottles, and
broached or opened them both. So here, the priest broached, opened,
or began his tale.
The Nonne Preestes Tale.
We may compare Dryden's modernised version of this tale, entitled
'The Cock and the Fox.' See further in vol. iii. pp. 431-3.
401 L stape. Lansd. MS. reads stoupe, as if it signified bent, stooped;
but stoop is a weak verb. Stape or stope is the past participle of
the strong verb stafien, to step, advance. Stape in a^^= advanced in
years. Roger Ascham has almost the same phrase : * And [Varro]
beyng depe stept in age, by negligence some wordes do scape and fall
from him in those bookes as be not worth the taking up,' &.C. — The
Schoolmaster, ed. Mayor, p. 1S9; ed. Arber, p. 152.
LI. 3995-4044-] THE NONNE PREESTES TALE. 249
4018-9. by hotisbotidrye, by economy ; fond hir-self, ' found herself,'
provided for herself.
4022. Fill sooty was hir hour, aiideek hir halle. The widow's house
consisted of only two apartments, designated by the terms bower and
hall. Whilst the widow and her ' daughters two ' slept in the bower,
Chanticleer and his seven wives roosted on a perch in the hall, and the
swine disposed themselves on the floor. The smoke of the fire had
to find its way through the crevices of the roof. See Our English
Home, pp. 139, 140. Cf. Virgil, Eel. vii. 50 — ' assidua postes fuligine
nigri.' Also —
' At his beds feete feeden his stalled teme,
His swine beneath, his pullen ore the beamed
Hall's Satires, bk. v. sat. I ; v. I. p. 56, ed. 1599.
4025. No deyntee (Elles. &c.) ; Noon deyntcth (Harl.).
4029. hertes stiffisauncc, a satisfied or contented mind, literally heart's
satisfaction. Cf. our phrase * to your heart's content.'
4032. wyn . . . lu/iyt nor reed. The white line was sometimes
called 'the wine of Osey' (Alsace) ; the red wine of Gascony, some-
times called ' Mountrose,' was deemed a liquor for a lord. See Our
English Home, p. %■}, ; Piers PI. prol. 1. 228.
4035. Stynd bacoun, singed or broiled bacon. rt« ey or t-weye, an
egg or two.
4036. deye. The data (from the I eel. deigja) is mentioned in
Domesday among assistants in husbandry ; and the term is again
found in 2nd Stat. 25 Edward HI (a. D. 1351). In Stat. 2,7 Edward
HI (a. d. 1363), the deye is mentioned among others of a certain rank,
not having goods or chattels of 405-. value. The deye was usually
a female, whose duty was to make butter and cheese, attend to the calves
and poultry, and other odds and ends of the farm. The dairy (in some
parts of England, as in Shropshire, called a dey-how^c) was the depart-
ment assigned to her. See Prompt. Parv., p. 116.
4039. In Caxton's translation of Reynard the Fox, the cock's name
is CJiantccleer. In the original, it is Canticleer; from his clear voice
in singing. In the same, Reynard's second son is Rosseel] see
1. 4524.
4041. 7;/6';7^r, sweeter, pleasanter. In Todd's Illustrations of Chaucer,
p. 284, there is a long passage illustrative of niery in the sense of
'pleasant.' Cf. 1. 4156. orgon is put for orgons or organs. It is
plain from g07t in the next line, that Chaucer meant to use this
word as a plural from the Lat. organa. Organ was used until lately
only in the plural, like bellows, gallows, &c. * Which is either
sung or said or on the 6'r^rt//j played.' — Becon's Acts of Christ, p. 534.
It was sometimes called a pair of organs. See note to P. Plowman,
C. xxi. 7.
4044. Cf. Pari, of Foules, 350 :—
' The cok, that orloge is of thorpes lyte.'
250 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
Orloge (of an abbey) occurs in Religious Pieces, ed. Perry, p. 56 ;
and see Stratmann.
4045. ' The cock knew each ascension of the equinoctial, and crew
at each ; that is, he crew every hour, as 15° of the equinoctial make an
hour. Chaucer adds [1. 4044] that he knew the hour better than the
abbey-clock. This tells us, clearly, that we are to reckon clock-hours,
and not the unequal hours of the solar or ' artificial ' day. Hence the
prime, mentioned in 1. 4387, was at a clock-hour, at 6, 7, 8, or 9,
suppose. The day meant is May 3, because the sun [1. 4384] had
passed the 21st degree of Taurus (see fig. i of Astrolabe). . . . The date,
May 3, is playfully denoted by saying [1. 4379] that March was com-
plete, and also (since March beganj thirty-two days more had passed.
The words " since March began " are parenthetical ; and we are, in
fact, told that the whole of March, the whole of April, and two days of
May were done with. March was then considered the first month in
the year, though the year began with the 25th, not with the 1st ; and
Chaucer alludes to the idea that the Creation itself took place in
March. The day, then, was Jvlay 3, with the sun past 21 degrees of
Taurus. The hour must be had from the sun's altitude, rightly said
(1. 4389) to be Fourty degrees and mm. I use a globe, and find that the
sun would attain the altitude 41° nearly at 9 o'clock. It follows that
prime in 1. 4387 signifies the end of the first quarter of the day, reckon-
from 6 A. M. to 6 P. M.'— Skeat's Astrolabe, (E. E. T. S.), p. Ixi. This
rough test, by means of a globe, is perhaps sufficient ; but Mr. Brae
proved it to be right by calculation. Taking the sun's altitude at
4li°, he 'had the satisfaction to find a resulting hour, for prime, of g
o'clock A. IM. al/nost to the minute.' It is interesting to find that Thynne
explains this passage very well in his Animadversions on Speght's
Chaucer ; ed. Furnivall, p. 62, note i.
The notion that the Creation took place on the 18th of March is
alluded to in the Hexameron of St. Basil (see the A. S. version, ed.
Norman, p. 8, note/), and in /Elfric's Homilies, ed. Thorpe, i. 100.
4047. Fifteen degrees of the equinoctial = an exact hour. See note
to 1. 4045 above. Skelton imitates this passage in his Phillyp Sparowe,
1. 495.
4050. And batailed. Lansd. j\IS. reads Enbaieled^ indented like
a battlement, embattled. Batailed has the same sense.
4051. as the leet, like the jet. Beads used for the repetition of
prayers were frequently formed oijet. See note to Prol. A. 159.
4060. damoysele Pertelote. Cf. our ' Dame Partlet.'
* I'll be as faithful to thee
As Chaunticleer to Madame Partelot.'
The Ancient Drama, iii. p. 158.
In Le Roman de Renart, the hen is called Piute or Pintain.
4064. in hold \ in possession. Cf. 'He hath my heart in holde'' \
Greene's George a Greene, ed. Dyce, p. 256.
LI. 4045-123] THE NONNE PREESTES TALE. 251
4065. loken in every lith, locked in every limb.
4069. my lief is faren in londe, my beloved is gone away. Probably
the refrain of a popular song of the time.
4079. her/e dere. This expression corresponds to 'dear heart,' or
'deary heart,' which still survives in some parts of the country.
4083. take it nat agricf—take it not in grief, i. e. take it not amiss,
be not offended.
4084. me mette, I dreamed ; literally it dreamed to me.
4086. my sTvevene recche (or rede) aright, bring my dream to a good
issue ; literally ' interpret my dream favourably.'
4090. Was lyk. The relative that is often omitted by Chaucer
before a relative clause, as, again, in 1. 4365.
4098. Avoy (Elles.) ; Away (Harl.). From O. F. avoi, interj. fie I
It occurs in Le Roman de la Rose, 7284, 16634.
4113. See the Chapter on Dreams in Brand's Pop. Antiquities,
4114. fume, the effects arising from gluttony and drunkenness.
'Anxious black melancholy/z/'w^i'.' — Burton's Anat. of Mel. p. 438, ed.
1845. ' ^ vapours arising out of the stomach,' especially those caused
by gluttony and drunkenness. ' For when the head is heated it
scorcheth the blood, and from thence proceed melancholy fumes that
trouble the mind.' — Ibid. p. 269.
4118. rede colera. , . red cholera caused by too much bile and blood
(sometimes called red htnnour). Burton speaks of a kind of melan-
choly of which the signs are these— ' the veins of their eyes red, as
well as their faces.' The following quotation explains the matter.
' Ther be foure humours, Bloud, Fleame, Cholar, and Melancholy. . . .
First, working heate turneth what is colde and moyst into the kind of
Fleme, and then what is hot and moyst, into the kinde of Bloud ; and
then what is hot and dr^'e into the kinde of Cholera ; and then what
is colde and drye into the kinde of Melancholia. ... By meddling of
other humours, Bloud chaungeth kinde and colour : for by meddling of
Cholar, it seemeth red, and by Melancholy it seemeth black, and by
Fleame it seemeth watrie, and fomie.' — Batman upon Bartholome,
lib. iv. c. 6. So also — ' in bloud it needeth that there be red Cholera''',
lib. iv. c. 10; &c.
The following explains the belief as to dreams caused by cholera.
Men in which red Cholera is excesssive ' dreame of fire, and of lyght-
ening, and of dreadful burning of the ajTe ' ; Batman upon Bartholome,
lib. iv. c. 10. Those in which Melancholia is excessive dream * dred-
full darke dreames, and very ill to see'; id. c. li. And again: 'He
that is Sanguine hath glad and liking dreames, the melancholious
dremeth of sorrow, the Cholarike, oifry things, and the Flematike, of
Raine, Snow,' &c. ; id. lib. vi. c. 27.
4123. the humour ofmalencolye. ' The name (melancholy) is imposed
from the matter, and disease denominated from the material cause, as
Bruel observes, ixikav^okla quasi \iiKaiva-)^6\t], from black choler.'
Fracastorius, in his second book of Intellect, calls those melancholy
252 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
' whom abundance of that same depraved humour of black choler hath
so misaffected, that they become mad thence, and dote in most things
or in all, belonging to election, will, or other manifest operations of the
understanding.' — Eruton's Anat. of Melancholy, p. io8, ed. 1805.
4128. 'That cause many a man in sleep to be very distressed.'
4130. Catoun. Dionysius Cato, de Moribus, I. ii. dist. 32 : somnia
jte cures. ' I observe by the way, that this distich is quoted by John
of Salisbury, Polycrat. 1. ii. c. 16, as a precept 7'iri sapicntis. In an-
other place, I. vii. c. 9, he introduces his quotation of the first verse of
dist. 20 (1. iii.) in this manner: — '■'■Ait vel Cato vel alius, nam autor
incertus est."' — Tyrwhitt. Cf. note to G. 688.
4131. do 110 for s ^y"=take no notice of, pay no heed to. Skelton,
i. 118, has 'makyth so lytyll fors,' i.e. cares so little for.
4153. ' Wormwood, centaury, pennyroyal, are likewise magnified and
much prescribed, especially in hypochondrian melancholy, daily to be
used, sod in whey. And because the spleen and blood are often mis-
affected in melancholy, I may not omit endive, succory, dandelion,
fumitory, &c., which cleanse the blood.' — Burton's Anat. of Mel. pp.
432, 433. See also p. 43S, ed. 1845. * Centauria abateth wombe-ache,
and cleereth sight, and vnstoppeth the splene and the reines '; Batman
upon Bartholom5, lib. xvii. c. 47. ' Fumus terre [fumitory] cleanseth
and purgeth Melancholia, fleme, and cholera ' ; id. lib. xvii. c. 69. ' Medi-
cinal herbs were grown in every garden, and were dried or made into
decoctions, and kept for use'; Wright, Domestic ]\Ianners, p. 279.
4154. ellebor. Two kinds of hellebore are mentioned by old writers ;
* white hellebore, called sneezing powder, a strong purger upward '
(Burton's Anat. of Mel. pt. 2. § 4. m. 2. subsec. i.), and ' black hellebore,
that most renowned plant, and famous purger of melancholy.' — Ibid,
subsec. 2.
4155. catapuce, caper-spurge. Euphorbia Lathyris. gaytres (or
gaytrys) beryis, probably the berries of the buck-thorn, Rhamnus
catharticus ; which (according to Rietz) is still called, in Swedish
dialects, the getbdrs-trii (goat-berries tree) or getappel (goat-apple).
I take gaytre to stand for gayt-tre, i. e. goat-tree ; a Northern form,
from Icel. geit (gen. geitar), a goat. The A.S. gdte-treow, goat-tree, is
probably the same tree, though the prov. Eng. gaiter-tree, gatteti-tree,
or gatteridge-tree is usually applied to the Co7-nus sanguinea or cornel-
tree, the fruits of which 'are sometimes mistaken for those of the buck-
thorn, but do not possess the active properties of that plant '; Eng.
Cyclop., s. V. Cornus. The context shews that the buck-thorn is meant.
Langham says of the buck-thorn, that ' the beries do purge downwards
mightily flegme and choller'; Garden of Health, 1633, p. 99 (New E.
Diet., s. V. Buckthorti). This is why Chanticleer was recommended
to eat them.
4156. erbe yve, herb ive or herb ivy, usually identified with the
ground-pine, Ajuga chamcepitys. inery, pleasant, used ironically ; as
the leaves are extremely nauseous.
LI. 4128-274] THE NONNE PREESTES TALE. 253
4160. gi'Mint mercy, great thanks ; this in later authors is corrupted
into gramjitercy or grmnercy.
4166. so viflte I t/iee, as I may thrive (or prosper). Mote=K. S.
viot-e, first p. s. pr. subj.
4174. Oon of the gretteste atictotirs. 'Cicero, De Divin. 1. i. c. 27,
relates this and the following story, but in a different order, and with
so many other differences, that one might be led to suspect that he was
here quoted at second-hand, if it were not usual with Chaucer, in these
stories of familiar life, to throw in a number of natural circumstances,
not to be found in his original authors.' — Tyrwhitt. Warton thinks
that Chaucer took it rather from Valerius Maximus, who has the same
story ; i. 7. He has, however, overlooked the statement in 1. 4254,
which decides for Cicero. I here quote the whole of the former story,
as given by Valerius. 'Duo familiares Arcades iter una facientes,
Megaram venerunt ; quorum alter ad hospitem se contulit, alter in
tabernam meritoriam devertit. Is, qui in hospitio venit, vidit in somnis
comitem suam orantem, ut sibi cauponis insidiis circumvento sub-
veniret : posse enim celeri ejus accursu se imminenti periculosubtrahi.
Quo viso excitatus, prosiluit, tabernamque, in qua is diversabatur,
petere conatus est. Pestifero deinde fato ejus humanissimum propo-
situm tanquam supervacuum damnavit, et lectum ac somnum repetiit.
Tunc idem ei saucius oblatus obsecravit, ut qui auxilium vitae suae ferre
neglexisset, neci saltem ultionem non negaret. Corpus enim suum \
caupone trucidatum, tum maxime plaustro ad portam ferri stercore
coopertum. Tam constantibus familiaris precibus compulsus, protinus
ad portam cucurrit, et plaustrum, quod in quiete demonstratum
erat, comprehendit, cauponemque ad capitale supplicium perduxit.'
Valerii Maximi, lib. i. c. 7 (De Somniis). Cf. Cicero, De Divinatione,
i. 27.
4194. axes ; written oxe in HI. Cp. Ln; where oxe corresponds to
the older English gen. oxaii, of an ox — oxe standing for oxen (as in
Oxenford, see note on 1. 285 of Prologue). Thus axes and oxe are
equivalent.
4200. took of this fio keep, took no heed to this, paid no attention to it.
4211. sooih to sayn, to say (tell) the truth.
4232. gi^pingc. The phrase g(^ping upright occurs elsewhere (see
Knightes Tale, A. 2008), and signifies lying flat on the back with the
mouth open. Cf. ' Dede he sate uprighte,' i.e. he lay on his back dead.
The Sowdone of Babyloyne, 1. 530.
4235. Harrow, a cry of distress ; a cry for help. ' Harrow! alas ! I
swelt here as I go.' — The Ordinary ; see vol. iii. p. 150, of the Ancient
Drama. See F, Jiaro in Godefroy and Littre ; and note to A. 3286.
4237. outsterie (Elles., &c.) ; vpsterte (Hn., Harl.)
4242. A common proverb. Skelton, ed. Dyce, i. 50, has ' I drede
mordre wolde come cute.'
4274. A?id preyde him his 7' i age for to kite, And prayed him to
abandon his journey.
254 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
4275, to abyde, to stay where he was.
4279. my i/iiftges, my business-matters.
4300. ' Kenelm succeeded his father Kenulph on the throne of the
Mercians in 821 [Haydn, Book of Dates, says 819] at the age of seven
years, and was murdered by order of his aunt, Quenedreda. He was
subsequently made a saint, and his legend will be found in Capgrave,
or in the Golden Legend.' — Wright.
St. Kenelm's day is Dec. 13. Alban Butler, in his Lives of the
Saints, says :— [Kenulph] 'dying in 819, left his son Kenelm, a child
only seven years old [see 1. 4307] heir to his crown, under the tutelage
of his sister Quindride. This ambitious woman committed his person to
the care of one Ascobert, whom she had hired to make away with
him. The wicked minister decoyed the innocent child into an unfre-
quented wood, cut off his head, and buried him under a thorn-tree.
His corpse is said to have been discovered by a heavenly ray of light
which shone over the place, and by the following inscription : —
In Clent cow-pasture, under a thorn,
Of head bereft, lies Kenelm, king bom.'
Milton tells the story in his History of Britain, bk. iv. ed. 1695, P- 218,
and refers us to Matthew of Westminster. He adds that the 'inscription'
was inside a note, which was miraculously dropped by a dove on the
altar at Rome. Our great poet's verson of it is ; —
' Low in a Mead of Kine, under a thorn.
Of Head bereft, li'th poor Kenelm King-born.'
Clent is near the boundary between Stafitbrdshire and Worcestershire.
Neither of these accounts mentions Kenelm's dream, but it is given
in his Life, as printed in Early Eng. Poems, ed. Furnivall (Phil. Soc.
1862), p. 51, and in Caxton's Golden Legend. St. Kenelm dreamt
that he saw a noble tree with waxlights upon it, and that he climbed
to the top of it ; whereupon one of his best friends cut it down, and he
was turned into a little bird, and flew up to heaven. The little bird
denoted his soul, and the flight to heaven his death.
4307. For traisoitn^ i. e. for fear of treason.
4314. Cipioiin. The Somnium Scipionis of Cicero, as annotated by
Macrobius, was a favourite work during the middle ages. See note to
1. 31 of the Pari, of Foules.
4328. See the Menkes Tale, B. 3917, and the note, p. 246.
433L Lo heer Andfomacha. Andromache's dream is not to be found
in Homer. It is mentioned in chapter xxiv. of Dares Phrygius, the
authority for the history of the Trojan war most popular in the middle
ages. See the Troy-book, ed. Panton and Donaldson (E. E. T. S.),
1. 8425 ; or Lydgate's Siege of Troye, c. 27.
4341. asforconclustoim, in conclusion.
4344. telle . . . no store, set no store by them ; reckon them of no
value ; count them as useless.
4346. never a del, never a whit, not in the slightest degree.
LI. 4275-446.] THE NONNE PREESTES TALE. 255
4350. This line is repeated from the Compleynt of Mars, 1. 61.
4353-6. ' By way of quiet retaliation for Partlet's sarcasm, he cites
a Latin proverbial saying, in 1. 344, * Mulier est hominis confusio,' which
he turns into a pretended compliment by the false translation in 11. 345,
346.' — Marsh. Tyrwhitt quotes it from Vincent of Beauvais, Spec.
Hist. X. 71. Chaucer has already referred to this saying above; see
p. 207, 1. 2296. ' A woman, as saith the philosofre [i. e. Vincent], is the
confusion of man, insaciable, tS:c. '; Dialogue of Creatures, cap. cxxi.
' Est damnum dulce mulier, confusio sponsi ' ; Adolphi Fabulae, x.
567 ; pr. in Leyser, Hist. Poet. Med. Aevi, p. 2031. Cf. note to
D. 1195.
4365. lay, for that lay. Chaucer omits the relative, as is frequently
done in Middle English poetry ; see note to 1. 4090.
4377. According to Beda, the creation took place at the vernal
equinox ; see Morley, Eng. Writers, 1888, ii. 146. Cf. note to 1. 4045.
4384. See note on 1. 4045 above.
4.395. Cf. Man of Lawes Tale, B. 421, and note. See Prov. xiv. 13.
4398. Inthe margin of ^LSS. E.and Hn. is written ' Petrus Comestor,'
who is probably here referred to.
4402. See the Squieres Tale, F. 287, and the note.
4405. col-fox; explained by Bailey as a 'coal-black fox'; and he
seems to have caught the right idea. Col- here represents M. E. col,
coal ; and the reference is to the brant-fox, which is explained in the
NewE. Diet. as borrowed from the G.brand-fuchs, 'the German name
of a variety of the fox, chiefly distinguished by a greater admixture of
black in its fur ; according to Grimm, it has black feet, ears, and tail.'
Chaucer expressly refers to the black-tipped tail and ears in 1. 4094
above. Mr. Bradley cites the G. kohlfuchs and Du. koolvos, similarly
formed ; but the ordinary dictionaries do not give these names. The
old explanation of col-fox as meaning ' deceitful fox ' is difficult to
establish, and is now unnecessary.
4412. undern ; see note to E. 260.
4417. i'crtrzV'/, i. e. Judas Iscariot. Gem'lon; the traitor who caused
the defeat of Charlemagne, and the death of Roland ; see Book of the
Duchesse, 1121, and the note in vol. i. p. 491.
4418. See Vergil, ^n. ii. 259.
4430. biilte it to the bren, sift the matter ; cf. the phrase to boult the
bran. See the argument in Troilus, iv. 967 ; cf. Milton, P. L. ii. 560.
4432. Boece, i. e. Boethius. See note to Kn. Tale, A. 11 63.
Bradwardyn. Thomas Bradwardine was Proctor in the University of
Oxford in the year 1325, and afterwards became Divinity Professor and
Chancellor of the University. His chief work is ' On the Cause of God '
{JDe Causa Dei). See Morley's English Writers, iv. 61.
4446. colde, baneful, fatal. The proverb is Icelandic ; ' kold eru opt
kvenna-ra^,' cold (fatal) are oft women's counsels; Icel. Diet. s. v. kaldr.
It occurs early, in The Proverbs of Alfred, ed. Morris, Text i, 1. 336 : —
' Cold red is quene red.' Cf. B. 2286, and the note.
256 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group b.
4450-6. Imitated from Le Roman de la Rose, 15397-437.
4461. Phisiologiis. ' He alludes to a book in Latin metre, entitled
Physiologus de Naturis xii. Animalium, by one Theobaldus, whose age
is not known. The chapter De Sirenis begins thus : —
Sirenae sunt monstra maris resonantia magnis
Vocibus, et modulis cantus formantia multis,
Ad quas incaute veniunt saepissime nautae,
Quae faciunt sompnum nimia dulcedine vocum.' — Tyrwhitt.
See The Bestiary, in Dr. Morris's Old English Miscellany, pp. 18,
207 ; Philip de Thaun, Le Bestiaire, 1. 664 ; Babees Book, pp. 233, 237 ;
Miitzner's Sprachproben, i. 55 ; Gower, C. A. i. 58 ; and of. Rom.
Rose, Eng. Version, 680 (in vol. i. p. 122).
4467. In Douglas's Virgil, prol. to Book xi. st. 15, we have —
' Becum thow cowart, craudoun recryand,
And by consent cry cok, thi deid is dycht';
i. e. if thou turn coward, (and) a recreant craven, and consent to cry
cok^ thy death is imminent. In a note on this passage, Ruddiman
says — * Cok is the sound which cocks utter when they are beaten.' But
it is probable that this is only a guess, and that Douglas is merely
quoting Chaucer. To cry cok ! cok ! refers rather to the utterance of
rapid cries of alarm, as fowls cry when scared. Brand (Pop. Antiq.,
ed. Ellis, ii. 58) copies Ruddiman's explanation of the above passage.
4484. Boethius wrote a treatise De Musica, quoted by Chaucer
in the Hous of Fame ; see my note to 1. 788 of that poem (vol. iii.
p. 260).
4490. * As I hope to retain the use of my two eyes.' So Havelok,
• 2545 • <So mote ich brouke mi Rith eie!'
And 1. 1743 : — * So mote ich brouke finger or to.'
And 1. 311 : — 'So brouke i euere mi blake swire!'
j'w/r^ = neck. See also Broitke in the Glossary to Gamelyn.
4502. daun Burtiel ike Asse. 'The storj' alluded to is in a poem of
Nigellus Wireker, entitled Bumellus sen Speculum Stultorum, written
in the time of Richard I. In the Chester Whitsun Playes, Burnellh
used as a nickname for an ass. The original word was probably
briinell, from its broivn colour ; as \\\^fox below is called Riisscl, from
his red colour.' — Tyrwhitt. The Latin story is printed in The Anglo-
Latin Satirists of the Twelfth Century, ed. T. Wright, i. 55 ; see also
Wright's Biogi'aphiaBritannica Literaria,Anglo-Norman Period, p. 356.
There is an amusing translation of it in Lowland Scotch, printed
as ' The Unicornis Tale' in Small's edition of Laing's Select Remains
of Scotch Poetry, ed. 1885, p. 285. It tells how a certain young
Gundulfus broke a cock's leg by throwing a stone at him. On the
morning of the day when Gundulfus was to be ordained and to receive
a benefice, the cock took his revenge by not crowing till much later
LI. 4450-584] THE NONNE PREESTES TALE. 257
than usual ; and so Gundulfus was too late for the ceremony, and lost
his benefice. Cf. Warton, Hist. E. P., ed. 1871, ii. 352; Lounsbury,
Studies in Chaucer, ii. 338. As to the name Rtissel, see note to 1. 4039.
4516. See Rom. of the Rose (E. version), 1050, MS. E. alone reads
coiotes; Hn. Cm. Cp. Pt. have court \ Ln. coiirte ; HI. hous.
4519. Ecclesiaste ; not Ecclesiastes, but Ecclesiasticus, xii. 10, 11, 16.
Cf. Tale of Melibeus, B. 2368.
4525. Tyrwhitt cites the O. F. {orm gargaie, i. e. (throat, from the
Roman de Rou. Several examples of it are given by Godefroy.
4537. O Gaufred. ' He alludes to a passage in the Nova Poetria of
Geoffrey de Vinsauf, published not long after the death of Richard I.
In this work the author has not only given instructions for composing
in the different styles of poetry, but also examples. His specimen of
the plaintive style begins thus : —
* Neustria, sub clypeo regis defensa Ricardi,
Indefensa modo, gestu testare dolorem ;
Exundent oculi lacrimas ; exterminet ora
Pallor ; connodet digitos tortura ; cruentet
Interiora dolor, et verberet aethera clamor ;
Tota peris ex morte sua. Mors non fuit eius.
Bed tua, non una, sed publica mortis origo.
O Veneris lacrimosa dies ! O sydus amarum !
Ilia dies tua nox fuit, et Venus ilia venenum.
Ilia dedit vulnus,' &c.
These lines are sufficient to show the object and the propriety of
Chaucer's ridicule. The whole poem is printed in Leyser's Hist. Poet.
Med. J^\\, pp. S62-978.' — Tyrwhitt. See a description of the poem,
with numerous quotations, in Wright's Biographia Britannica Literaria,
Anglo-Norman Period, p. 400 ; cf. Lounsbury, Studies, ii. 341.
4538. Richard I. died on April 6, 1199, on Tuesday ; but he received
his wound on Friday, March 26.
4540. Why ne hadde /= O that I had.
4547. streite swerd = drawn (naked) sword. Cf. Aeneid, ii. 333,
334 • « Statyi'rr/ acies mucrone corusco
Stricta, parata neci.'
4548. See Aeneid, ii. 550-553.
4553. Hasdrubal; not Hannibal's brother, but the King of Carthage
when the Romans burnt it, B.C. 146. Hasdrubal slew himself; and
his wife and her two sons burnt themselves in despair ; see Orosius, iv.
13. 3, or yElfred's translation, ed. Sweet, p. 212. Lydgate has the story
in his Fall of Princes, bk. v. capp. 12 and 27.
4573. See note to Ho. Fame, 1277 (in vol. iii. p. 273). ' Colle
furit'; Morley, Eng. Writers, 1889, iv. 179.
4584. Walsingham relates how, in 1381, Jakke Straw and his men
killed many Flemings 'cum clamore consueto.' He also speaks of the
noise made by the rebels as ' clamor horrendissimus.' See Jakke in
* * * „
258 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group B.
Tyrwhitt's Glossaiy. So also, in Riley's Memorials of London, p. 456,
it is said, with respect to the same event — ' In the Vintry was a very
great massacre of Flemings.'
4590. houped. See Piers Plowman, B. vi. 174; '' hoitpcd after
Hunger, that herde hym,' &c.
4616. Repeated in D. 1062.
4633. ' Mes retiengnent le grain et jettent hors lapaille'; Test, de
Jean de Meun, 2168.
4635. my Lord. A side-note in MS. E. explains this to refer to the
Archbishop of Canterbury ; doubtless William Courtenay, archbishop
from 1 38 1 to 1396. Cf. note to 1. 4584, which shews that this Tale is
later than 1381 ; and it was probably earlier than 1396. Note that
good m eft is practically a compound, as in 1. 4630. Hence read good,
not gfld-e.
Epilogue to the Nonne Preestes Tale.
4641. Repeated from B. 3135.
4643. Thee wer-e nede, there would be need for thee.
4649. brasil, a wood used for dyeing of a bright red colour ; hence
the allusion. It is mentioned as being used for dyeing leather in
Riley's Memorials of London, p. 364. ' Brazil-wood \ this name is now
applied in trade to the dye-wood imported from Pernambuco, which
is derived from certain species of Ccesalpinia indigenous there. But
it originally applied to a dye-wood of the same genus which was im-
ported from India, and which is now known in trade as Sappan. The
history of the word is very curious. For when the name was applied
to the newly discovered region in S. America, probably, as Barros
alleges, because it produced a dye-wood similar in character to the
brazil of the East, the trade-name gradually became appropriated to
the S. American product, and was taken away from that of the E.
Indies. See some further remarks in Marco Polo, ed. Yule, 2nd ed. ii.
368-370.
'This is alluded to also by Camocs (Lusiad, x. 140). Burton's trans-
lation has : —
" But here, where earth spreads wider, ye shall claim
Realms by the 7-tcddy dye-wood made renowned ;
These of the * Sacred Cross ' shall win the name.
By your first navy shall that world be found."
' The medieval forms of brazil were many ; in Italian, it is generally
verzi, verztno, or the like.' — Yule, Hobson-Jobson, p. 86.
Again — ' Sappan, the wood oi Ccesalpinia sappan ; the baqqam of the
Arabs, and the Brazil-wood of medieval commerce. The tree appears
to be indigenous in Malabar, the Deccan, and the Malay peninsula.'— id.
p. 600. And in Yule's edition of Marco Polo, ii. 315, he tells us that
* it is extensively used by native dyers, chiefly for common and cheap
LI. 4590-652.] EPILOGUE TO NONNE PREESTES TALE. 259
cloths, and for fine mats. The dye is precipitated dark-brown with
iron, and red with alum.'
Cf. Way's note on the word in the Prompt. Parv. p. 47.
Florio explains Ital. verzino as 'brazell woode, or fernanbucke
[Pernambuco] to dye red withall.'
The etymology is disputed, but I think brasil and Ital. verzino are
alike due to the Pers. wars, saffron ; cf. Arab, ^aaris, dyed with saffron
or wars.
greyn 0/ Portingale. Greyn^ mod. Y.. grain, is the term applied to
the dye produced by the coccus insect, often termed, in commerce and
the arts, kervies\ see Marsh, Lectures on the E. Language, Lect. III.
The colour thus produced was ' fast,' i. e. would not wash out ; hence the
phrase to engrain, or to dye in grain, meaning to dye of a fast colour.
Various tones of red were thus produced, one of which was crimson,
and another carmine, both forms being derivatives of kermes. Of
Portingale means 'imported from Portugal.' In the Libell of English
Policy, cap. ii. (1. 132), it is said that, among 'the commoditees of
Portingale'' are : — 'oyl, wyn, osey [Alsace wine], wex, and graine.'
4652. to anotJicr, to another of the pilgrims. This is so absurdly
indefinite that it can hardly be genuine. LI. 4637-4649 are in Chaucer's
most characteristic manner, and are obviously genuine ; but there,
I suspect, we must stop, viz. at the word Portingale. The next three
lines form a mere stop-gap, and are either spurious, or were jotted
down temporarily, to await the time of revision. The former is more
probable.
This Epilogue is only found in three MSS.; (see footnote, p. 289). In
Dd., Group G follows, beginning with the Second Nun's Tale. In the
other two MSS., Group H follows, i. e. the Manciple's Tale ; neverthe-
less, MS. Addit. absurdly puts the Nunne, in place of another. The
net result is, that, at this place, the gap is complete ; with no hint as to
what Tale should follow.
It is worthy of note that this Epilogue is preser\'ed in Thynne and
the old black-letter editions, in which it is followed immediately by
the Manciple's Prologue. This arrangement is obviously wrong,
because that Prologue is not introduced by the Host (as said in
1. 4652).
In 1. 4650, Thynne has But for JVow ; and his last line runs — ' Sayd
to a nother man, as ye shal here.' I adopt his reading of to for unto
(as in the MSS.).
S 2
NOTES TO GROUP C.
The Phisiciens Tale.
For remarks on the spurious Prologues to this Tale, see vol. iii.
p. 434. For further remarks on the Tale, see the same, p. 435, where
its original is printed in full.
1. The story is told by Livy, lib. iii. ; and, of course, his narrative
is the source of all the rest. But Tyrwhitt well remarks, in a note to
1. 12074 (i.e. C. 140) : — 'In the Discourse, «S:c., I forgot to mention
the Roman de la Rose as one of the sources of this tale ; though, upon
examination, I find that our author has drawn niore from thence, than
from either Gower or Livy-' It is absurd to argue, as in Bell's Chaucer,
that our poet must necessarily have known Livy ' in the original,'
and then to draw the conclusion that we must look to Livy only as
the true source of the Tale. For it is perfectly obvious that Tyrwhitt is
right as regards the Roman de la Rose ; and the belief that Chaucer
may have read the tale ' in the original ' does not alter the fact that
he trusted much more to the French text. In this very first line, he is
merely quoting Le Roman, 11. 5617, 8 : —
' Qui fu fille Virginius,
Si cum dist Titus Livius.'
The story in the French text occupies 70 lines (5613-5682, ed.
Meon) ; the chief points of resemblance are noted below.
Gower has the same story, Conf Amant. iii. 264-270 ; but I see no
reason why Chaucer should be considered as indebted to him. It is,
however, clear that, if Chaucer and Gower be here compared, the
latter suffers considerably by the comparison.
Gower gives the names of Icilius, to whom Virginia was betrothed,
and of Marcus Claudius. But Chaucer omits the name Marcus, and
ignores the existence of Icilius. The French text does the same.
IL This is the 'noble goddesse Nature' mentioned in the Pari, of
Joules, 11. 368, 379. Cf. note to 1. 16.
14. Pigmaiio7i, Pygmalion ; alluding to Ovid, Met. x. 247, where
it is said of him : —
* Interea niueum mira feliciter arte
Sculpit ebur, formamque dedit, qua femina nasci
Nulla potest ; operisque sui concepit amorem.'
THE PHISICIENS TALE. 261
In the margin of E. Hn. is the note — 'Ouere in Methamorphosios';
which supplies the reference ; but cf. note to 1. 16 below, shewing
that Chaucer also had in his mind Le Roman de la Rose, 1. 16379.
So also the author of the Pearl, 1. 750 ; see Morris, Allit. Poems.
16. In the margin of E. Hn. we find the note: — 'Apelles fecit
mirabile opus in tumulo Darii ; vide in Alexandri libro .1.° [Hn. lias
.6."] ; deZanze in libro Tullii.' This note is doubtless the poet's own ;
see further, as to Apelles, in the note to D. 498.
Zatizis, Zeuxis. The corruption of the name was easy, owing to the
confusion in MSS. between n and u. ^ In the note above, we are
referred to Tullius, i.e. Cicero. Dr. Reid kindly tells me that Zeuxis
is mentioned, with Apelles, in Cicero's De Oratore, iii. § 26, and
Brutus, § 70; also, with other artists, in Academia, ii. § 146; De
Finibus, ii. § 115 ; and alone, in De Inventione, ii. § 52, where a long
story is told of him. Cf. note to Troil. iv. 414.
However, the fact is that Chaucer really derived his knowledge of
Zeuxis from Le Roman de la Rose (ed. Meon, I. 16387) ; for comparison
with the context of that line shews numerous points of resemblance to
the present passage in our author. Jean de ]\Icun is there speaking
of Nature, and of the inability of artists to vie with her, which is
precisely Chaucer's argument here. The passage is too long for
quotation, but I may cite such lines as these : —
*Ne /'/;««//<?/? entaillier ' (1. 16379),
* \-oire Apelles
Que ge moult bon paintre appelles,
Biautes de Ii james descrive
Ne porroit,' &c. (1. 16381).
* Zeuxis neis par son biau paindre
Ne porroit a tel forme ataindre,' &c. (1. 163S7).
Si cum Titles le nous remembre
Ou livre de sa reioriqiie' ; (1. 16398).
Here the reference is to the passage in De Oratore, iii. § 26.
' Mes ci ne peust-il riens faire
Zeuxis, tant seust bien portraire,
Ne colorer sa portraiture,
Tant est de grant biaute Nature' (1. 16401).
A little further on, Nature is made to say (1. 16970) : —
*Cis Diex meismes, par sa grace, . . .
Tant m'ennora, tant me tint chere,
Qu'il m'establi sa chamberiere . . .
Por chamberiere ! certes vaire,
Por connestable, et por vicaire.'
^ Spelt Xeuxis in one MS., and Zcnsis in another, in the same passage ; see
Anglo-Latin Satirists, ed. Wright, ii. 303.
262 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group c.
20. See just above ; and cf. Pari, of Foules, 379 — * Nature, the
vicaire of thalmighty lord.'
32-4. Cf. Le Rom. de la Rose, 16443-6.
35. From this line to 1. 120, Chaucer has it all his own way. This
fine passage is not in Le Roman, nor in Gower.
37. Le. she had golden hair; cf. Troil. iv. 736, v. 8.
49. Perhaps Chaucer found the wisdom of Pallas in Vergil, Aen.
V. 704 :—
' Turn senior Nautes, unum Tritonia Pallas
Quem docuit, mirltaque insignem reddidit arte.'
50. fdcotindy eloquence ; cL/acotinde in Pari. Foules, 558.
54. Souninge iti, conducing to ; see A. 307, B. 3157, and notes.
58. Baciis, Bacchus, i. e. wine ; see next note.
59. yoiiihe, youth ; such is the reading in MSS. E. Hn., and edd.
1532 and 1561. IMS. Cm. has lost a leaf; the rest have thought.,
which gives no sense. It is clear that the reading thought arose from
misreading the y oi youthe as p (th). How easily this may be done
appears from Wright's remark, that the Lansdowne MS. has youthe^
whilst, in fact, it hdiS pouht.
Tyrwhitt objects to the reading jr?/^///!?, and proposes slouthc, wholly
without authority. But youthe, meaning 'youthful vigour,' is right
enough ; I sec no objection to it at all. Rather, it is simply taken
from Ovid, Ars Amat. i. 243 : —
' Illic saepe aminos iuuenum rapuere puellae ;
Et Venus in uinis, ignis in igne fiiit'
Only a few lines above (1. 232), Bacchus occurs, and there is a reference
to wine, throughout the context. Cf. the Romaunt of the Rose,
1. 4925 :-
* For Youthe set man in al folye . . .
In leccherj'e and in outrage.'
Cf. note to 1. 65.
60. Alluding to a proverbial phrase, occurring in Horace, Sat»ii. 3.
321, viz. * oleum adde camino'; and elsewhere.
65. This probably refers to the same passage in Ovid as is mentioned
in the note to 1. 59. For we there find (1. 229) : —
* Dant etiam positis aditum conuiuia mensis ;
Est aliquid, praeter uina, quod inde petas . .
Vina parant animos, faciuntque caloribus aptos'; &c.
79. See A. 476, and the note. Chaucer is here thinking of the
same passage in Le Roman de la Rose. I quote a few lines
(3930-46) :—
' Une vielle, que Diex honnisse !
Avoit o li por li guetier,
Qui ne fesoit autre mestier
LI.20-I54.1 THE PHISICIENS TALE. 263
Fors espier tant solement
Qu' il ne se maine folemcnt . . .
Bel-Acucil se taist et escoute
Por la vielle que il redoute,
Et n'est si hardis qu'il se moeve,
Que la vielle en li n'apergoeve
Aucune fole contenance,
Qu'el scet toute la vielle dance.'
See the English version in vol. i. p. 205, 11. 4285-4300.
82. See the footnote for another reading. The line there given may
also be genuine. It is deficient in the first foot.
85. This is like our proverb : — ' Set a thief to catch [or take] a thief,'
An old poacher makes a good gamekeeper.
98. Cf. Prov. xiii. 24 ; P. Plowman, B. v, 41,
101, See a similar proverb in P, Plowman, C. x. 265, and my note
on the line. The Latin lines quoted in P. Plowman are from Alanus
de Insulis, Liber Parabolarum, cap. i. 31 ; they are printed in Leyser,
Hist. Poet. Med. Aevi, 1721, p, 1066, in the following form : —
' Sub molli pastore capit lanam lupus, et grex
Incustoditus dilaceratur eo,'
117, T//e doctoiir, i. e. the teacher; viz. St. Augustine, (There is
here no reference whatever to the 'Doctor' or * Phisicien ' who is
supposed to tell the tale.) In the margin of MSS, E. Hn. is written
* Augustinus'; and the matter is put beyond doubt by a passage in
the Persones Tale, I, 484 : — 'and, after the word of seint Augustin, it
[Envye] is sorwe of other mannes wele, and loye of othere mennes
harm,' See note to I. 484.
The same idea is exactly reproduced in P, Plowman, L, v. 112,
113. Cf, ' Inuidus alterius macrescit rebus opimis '; Horace, Epist.
i, 2. 57.
135. From Le Roman, 1. 5620-3 ; see vol. iii. p. 436.
140. chcrl, dependant. It is remarkable that, throughout the story,
MSS. E. Hn. and Cm. have cherl, but the rest have clerk. In
11. 140, 142, 153, 164, the Camb, MS, is deficient ; but it at once gives
the reading cherl in 1. 191, and subsequently.
Either reading might serve; in Le Roman, 1. 5614, the dependant
is called ' son serjant ' ; and in I, 5623, he is called ' Li ribaus'
i. e, the ribald, which Chaucer Englishes by cherl. But when we
come to C. 289, the MSS, gives us the choice of 'fals cherV and
' cursed theef ; very few have clerk (like MS. Sloane 1685). Cf. vol. iii.
P-437-
153, 154, The ' churl's' name was Marcus Claudius, and the 'judge'
was ' Appius Claudius.' Chaucer simply follows Jean de Meun, who
calls the judge Apius ; and speaks of the churl as ' Claudius li
chalangieres ' in 1, 5675.
264 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group c.
165. Cf. Le Roman, 1. 5623-7 ; see vol. iii. p. 436.
168-9. From Le Roman, 5636-8, as above.
174. The first foot is defective; read — Thou | shalt have | al, &c.
al right, complete justice. MS. Cm. has alle,
184. Cf. Le Roman, 1. 5628-33.
203. From Le Roman, 5648-54.
207-253. The whole of this fine passage appears to be original.
There is no hint of it in Le Roman de la Rose, except as regards
1. 225, where Le Roman (1. 5659) has : — ' Car il par amors, sans
hainc.' We may compare the farewell speech of Virginius to his
daughter in Webster's playof Appius and Virginia, Act iv. sc. I.
240. Icpie., Jephtha ; in the Vulgate, /r////^. See Judges, xi. 37, 38.
MSS. E. Hn. have in the margin — ' fuit illo tempore Jephte Galaandes '
\error for Galaadites]. This reference by Virginia to the book of
Judges is rather startling ; but such things are common enough in old
authors, especially in our dramatists.
255. Here Chaucer returns to Le Roman, 5660-82. The rendering
is pretty close down to 1. 276.
280. Ag7-yse of, shudder at ; * nor in Avhat kind of way the worm of
conscience may shudder because of (the man's) wicked life'; cf. 'of
pitee gan agryse,' B. 614. When agryse is used with of it is
commonly passive, not intransitive ; see examples in Matzner and in
the New E. Dictionary. Cf. been afered, i.e. be scared, in 1. 284.
'Vermis conscientiae tripliciter lacerabit'; Innocent HL, De Con-
temptu Mundi, 1. iii. c. 2.
286. Cf. Pers. Tale, L 93 : — 'repentant folk, that stinte for to sinne,
and forlete [give up] sinne er that sinne forlete hem.'
Words of the Host.
In the Six-text Edition, prcf. col. 58, Dr. Furnivall calls attention
to the curious variations in this passage, in the MSS., especially in
II. 289-292, and in 297-300 ; as well as in 11. 487, 488 in the Par-
doneres Tale. I note these variations below, in their due places.
287. wood, mad, frantic, furious ; esp. applied to the transient
madness of anger. See Kn. Tale, A. 1301, 1329, 1578; also Mids.
Nt. Dr. ii. i. 192. Cf. G. ivuihcnd, raging.
288. Harrow ! also spelt haro ; a cry of astonishment ; see
A. 3286, 3825, B. 4235, &c. ^ Haro, the ancient Norman hue and cry;
the exclamation of a person to procure assistance when his person
or property was in danger. To cry out haro on any one, to denounce
his evil doings '; Halliwell. Spenser has it, F. Q. ii. 6. 43 ; see Harrow
in Nares, and the note above, to A. 3286.
On the oaths used by the Host, see note to 1. 65 1 below.
289. fals cherl is the reading in E. Hn., and is evidently right ; see
LI. 165-303] WORDS OF THE HOST. 26s
o
note to 1. 140 above. It is supported by several MSS., among which
are Harl. 7335, Addit. 2 571 8, Addit. 5140, Sloane 1686, Barlow 20,
Hatton I, Camb. Univ. Lib. Dd. 4. 24 and Mm. 2. 5, and Trin. Coll.
Cam. R. 3. 3. A few haxe/als clerk, viz. Sloane 1685, Arch. Seld. B. 14,
Rawl. Poet. 149, Bodley 414. Harl. 7333 has a fals the/, Acursid
Justise ; out of which numerous MSS. have developed the reading
a cursed theef, a fals lusltce, which rolls the two Claudii into one. It
is clearly wrong, but appears in good MSS., viz. in Cp. Pt. Ln. HI.
See vol. iii. pp. 437-8, and the note to 1. 291 below.
290. shamfiiL M SS. Ln. H 1. turn this into sc/u'ttd/iil, i. e. ignominious,
which does not at all alter the sense. It is a matter of small moment,
but I may note that of the twenty-five MSS. examined by Dr. Fur-
nivall, only the two above-named MSS. adopt this variation.
291,292. Here MSS. Cp. Ln. HI., as noted in the footnote, have
two totally different lines ; and this curious variation divides the M.SS.
(at least in the present passage) into two sets. In the yfrj-/ of these
we find P:. Hn. Harl. 7335, Addit. 25718, Addit. 5140, Sloane 1685
and 1686, Barlow 20, Arch. Seld. B. 14, Rawl. Poet. 149, Hatton i,
Bodley 414, Camb. Dd. 4. 24, and Mm. 2. 5, Trin. Coll. Cam. R. 3. 3.
In the second set we find Cp. Ln. HI., Harl. 1758, Royal 18. C. 2,
Laud 739, Camb. li. 3. 26, Royal 17. D. 15, and Harl. 72,33-
There is no doubt as to the correct reading; for the 'false cherl '
and 'false justice' were two different persons, and it was only
because they had been inadvertently rolled into one (see note to
1. 289) that it became possible to speak of * his body,' ' lu's bones,' and
* Jnin.' Hence the lines are rightly given in the text which I have
adopted.
There is a slight difficulty, however, in the rime, which should be
noted. We see that the / in culvocats was silent, and that the word was
pronounced (ad'vokaa's), riming with alias (alaa's), where the raised
dot denotes the accent. That this was so, is indicated by the following
spellings: — Pt. nduocas, and so also in Harl. 7335, Addit. 5140,
Bodl. 414; Rawl. Poet. i^<^h3.s advocas \ whilst Sloane 1685, Sloane
1686, and Camb. j\Im. 2. 5 have aduocase, and Barlow 20, advocase.
MS. Trin. Coll. R. 3. 3 has adicocasse. The testimony of ten MSS.
may suffice ; but it is worth noting that the F. pi. adiiocas occurs in
Le Roman de la Rose, 5107.
293. ' Alas ! she (Virginia) bought her beauty too dear' ; she paid too
high a price ; it cost her her life.
297-300. These four lines are genuine ; but several MSS., including
E. Hn. Pt., omit the former pair (297-8), whilst several others omit
the latter pair. Ed. 1532 contains both pairs, but alters 1. 299.
299. bothe yi/tes, both (kinds of) gifts ; i. e. gifts of fortune, such as
wealth, and of nature, such as beauty. Compare Dr. Johnson's poem
on the Vanity of Human Wishes, imitated from the tenth satire of
Juvenal.
303. is nofors, it is no matter. // must be supplied, for the sense.
266 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group c.
Sometimes Chaucer omits // is, and simply writes tio fors, as in
E. 1092, 2430. We also find I do tio fors, I care not, D. 1234;
and They ycve 710 fors, they care not, Romaunt of the Rose, 4826.
Palsgrave has — ' I gyue no force, I care nat for a thing, // nc 7nen
chatilt^
306. Ypocras is the usual spelling, in English INISS., of Hip-
pocrates ; see Prologue A. 431. So also in the Book of the Duchess,
171 i«72 *
^' 1 ^' ' ' Ne hele me may physicien,
Noght Ypocras, ne Galien.'
In the present passage it does not signify the physician himself, but
a beverage named after him. * It was composed of wine, with spices
and sugar, strained through a cloth. It is said to have taken its name
from Hippocaies' sleeve, the term apothecaries gave to a strainer';
Halliwell's Diet. s. v. Hippocras. In the same work, s. v. Ipocras, are
several receipts for making it, the simplest being one copied from
Arnold's Chronicle : — ' Take a quart of red wyne, an ounce of synamon,
and half an unce of gynger ; a quarter of an ounce of greynes, and
long peper, and halfe a pounde of sugar ; and brose all this, and than
put them in a bage of wuUen clothe, made therefore, with the wyne ;
and lete it hange over a vessel, tyll the wyne be rune thorowe.' Halli-
well adds that — 'Ipocras seems to have been a great favourite with
our ancestors, being served up at every entertainment, public or private.
It generally made a part of the last course, and was taken immediately
after dinner, with wafers or some other light biscuits'; <S:c. See
Pegge's Form of Cur)', p. 161 ; Babees Book, ed. Furnivall, pp. 125-
128, 267, 378 ; Skelton, ed. Dyce, ii. 285 ; and Nares's Glossary, s. v.
Hippocras.
Galiaties. In like manner this word (hitherto unexplained as far as
I am aware) must signify drinks named after Galen, whose name is
spelt Galien (in Latin, Galiemis) not only in Chaucer, but in other
authors. See the quotation above from the Book of the Duchess.
Speght guessed the word to mean ' Galen's works.'
310. lyk a prelat, like a dignitary of the church, like a bishop or
abbot. ]\Ir. Jephson, in Bell's edition, suggests that the Doctor was in
holy orders, and that this is why we are told in the Prologue, 1. 438,
that 'his studie was but litel on the bible.' I see no reason for this
guess, which is quite unsupported. Chaucer does not say he is a
prelate, but that he is like one ; because he had been highly educated,
as a member of a ' learned profession ' should be.
Rofiyan is here of three syllables and rimes with man ; in 1. 320 it
is of two syllables, and rimes with anon. It looks as if the Host and
Pardoner were not very clear about the saint's name, only knowing
him to swear by. In Pilkington's Works (Parker Society), we find
a mention of ' St. Tronian's fast,' p. 80 ; and again, of ' St. Rinian'sfast,'
p. 551, in a passage which is a repetition of the former. The forms
Roftyan and Rinian are evidently corruptions of Ronan, a saint whose
L1.306-3I3-] WORDS OF THE HOST. 267
name is well known to readers of ' St. Ronan's Well.' Of St. Ronan
scarcely anything is known. The fullest account that can easily be
found is the following : — •
'Ronan, B. and C. Feb. 7. — Beyond the mere mention of his com-
memoration as S. Ronan, bishop at Kilmaronen, in Levenax, in the
body of the Breviary of Aberdeen, there is nothing said about this
saint. . . Camerarius (p. 86) makes this Ronanus the same as he who
is mentioned by Beda (Hist. Ecc, lib. iii. c. 25). This Ronan died in
A.D. 778. The Ulster annals give at [a. d.] 737 (736) — " Mors Ronain
Abbatis Cinngaraid." yEngus places this saint at the 9th of Februar}^,'
&c. ; Kalendars of Scottish Saints, by Bp. A. P. Forbes, 1S72, p. 441.
Kilmaronen is Kihnaronock, in the county and parish of Dumbarton.
There are traces of St. Ronan in about seven place-names in Scotland,
according to the same authority. Under the date of Feb. 7 (February
vol. ii. 3 B), the Acta Sanctorum has a few lines about St. Ronan, who,
according to some, flourished under King Malduin, A. D. 664-684 ; or,
according to others, about 603. The notice concludes with the remark
— ' Maiorem lucem desideramus.' Beda says that * Ronan, a Scot by
nation, but instructed in ecclesiastical truth either in France or Italy,'
was mixed up in the controversy which arose about the keeping of
Easter, and was ' a most zealous defender of the true Easter.' This
controversy took place about A.D. 652, which does not agree with the
date above.
311. Tyrwhitt thinks that Shakespeare remembered this expression
of Chaucer, when he describes the Host of the Garter as frequently
repeating the phrase ' said I well ': Merry Wives of Windsor, i. 3. 11;
ii. I. 226; ii. 3. 93, 99.
/« iertnc, in learned terms ; cf. Prol. A. 323.
312. ertne, to grieve. For the explanation of unusual words, the
Glossar}' should, in general, be consulted ; the Notes are intended, for
the most part, to explain only phrases and allusions, and to give
illustrations of the Jise of words. Such illustrations are, moreover,
often omitted when they can easily be found by consulting such
a work as Stratmann's Old English Dictionarj'. In the present case, for
example, Stratmann gives twelve instances of the use of eariii or arm
as an adjective, meaning wretched ; four examples oi crinlic, miserable ;
seven of earming, a miserable creature ; and five of earinthe, misery.
These twenty-eight additional examples shew that the word was
formerly well understood, \^'e may further note that a later instance
of crincii or e7'mc, to grieve, occurs in Caxton's translation of Reynard
the Fox, A.D. 1 48 1 ; see Arber's reprint, p. 48, 1. 5 : ' Thenne departed
he fro the kynge so heuyly that many of them crnwd,' i.e. then departed
he from the king so sorrowfully that many of them mourned, or were
greatly grieved.
313. cardiacle, pain about the heart, spasm of the heart ; more
correctly, cardiake, as the / is excrescent. See Ca7'diacle and Cardiac
in the New E. Dictionary. In Batman upon Bartholome, lib. vii. c. 32,
268 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group c.
we have a description of ' Heart-quaking and the disease Cardiacle.'
We thus learn that 'there is a double manner of Cardiacle,' called
* Diaforetica ' and * Tremens.' Of the latter, ' sometime melancholy is the
cause'' \ and the remedies are various * confortatives.' This is why the
host wanted some ' triacle ' or some ale, or something to cheer him up.
314. The Host's form of oath is amusingly ignorant ; he is con-
fusing the two oaths ' by corpus Domini ' and ' by Christes bones,' and
evidently regards co7-pus as a genitive case. Tyrwhitt alters the phrase
to * By corpus domini,* which wholly spoils the humour of it.
triacle, a restorative remedy ; see Man of Lawes Tale, B. 479.
315. Jiioyste, new. The word retains the sense of the Lat. musteus
and viustus. In Group H. 60, we find moysty ale spoken of as
differing from old ale. But the most peculiar use of the word is in the
Prologue, A. 457, where the Wyf of Bath's shoes are described as
being moyste and ncwe.
corny ^ strong of the corn or malt ; cf. 1. 456. Skelton calls it ' newe
ale in cornys'; Magnificence, 782; or 'in cornes,' Elynour Rummyng,
378. Baret's Alvearie, s.v. ^/d?, has : 'new ale in cornes, ceruisia cum
recrementis.' It would seem that ale was thought the better for having
dregs of malt in it.
318. bel amy, good friend ; a common form of address in old
French. We also find biaics douz amis, sweet good friend ; as in —
' Chariot, Chariot, biaus doux amis ';
Rutebuef ; La Disputoison de Chariot et du Barbier, 1. 57.
Belamy occurs in an Early Eng. Life of St. Cecilia, MS. Ashmole 43,
I. 161 ; and six other examples are given in the New Eng. Dictionary.
Similar forms are beau filtz, dear son. Piers Plowman, B. vii. 162;
beau pere, good father ; beau sire, good sir. Cf. beldame.
321. ale-stake, \nn-s\'gr\. Speght interprets this by ' may-pole.' He
was probably thinking of the ale-pole, such as was sometimes set up
before an inn as a sign ; see the picture of one in Larwood and Hotten's
History of Signboards, Plate II. But the ale-stakes of the fourteenth
century were differently placed ; instead of being perpendicular, they
projected horizontally from the inn, just like the bar which supports
a painted sign at the present day. At the end of the ale-stake a large
garland was commonly suspended, as mentioned by Chaucer himself
(Prol. 667), or sometimes a bunch of i\y, box, or evergreen, called
a ' bush '; whence the proverb ' good wine needs no bush,' i.e. nothing
to indicate where it is sold ; see Hist. Signboards, pp. 2, 4, 6, 233. The
clearest information about ale-stakes is obtained from a notice of them
in the Liber Albus, ed. Riley, where an ordinance of the time of Richard
II. is printed, the translation of which runs as follows: 'Also, it was
ordained that whereas the ale-stakes, projecting in front of the taverns
in Chepe and elsewhere in the said city, extend too far over the king's
highways, to the impeding of riders and others, and, by reason of their
excessive weight, to the great deterioration of the houses to which they
LI. 314-345-1 THE PARDONERES PROLOGUE. 269
are fixed, ... it was ordained, . . . that no one in future should have
a stake bearing either his sign or leaves [i.e. a bush] extending or lying
over the king's highway, of greater letigth than 7 feet at most,' &c.
And, at p. 292 of the same work, note 2, Mr. Riley rightly defines an
ale-stake to be ' the pole projecting from the house, and supporting
a bunch of leaves.'
The word ale-stake occurs in Chatterton's poem of /^Ella, stanza 30,
where it is used in a manner which shews that the supposed ' Rowley '
did not know what it was like. See my note on this ; Essay on the
Rowley Poems, p. xix ; and cf. note to A. 667.
322. of a cake ; we should now say, a bit of bread ; the modern
sense of ' cake ' is a little misleading. The old cakes were mostly made
of dough, whence the proverb ' my cake is dough,' i. e. is not properly
baked ; Taming of the Shrew, v. i. 145. Shakespeare also speaks of
'cakes and ale,' Tw. Nt. ii. 3. 124. The picture of the 'Simnel Cakes'
in Chambers' Book of Days, i. 336, illustrates Chaucer's use of the
word in the Prologue, 1. 668.
324. The Pardoner was so ready to tell some 'mirth or japes' that
the more decent folks in the company try to repress him. It is a curious
comment on the popular estimate of his character. He has, moreover,
to refresh himself, and to think awhile before he can recollect ' some
honest (i. e. decent) thing.'
327, 328. The Harleian MS. has—
' But in the cuppe wil I me bethinke
Upon some honest tale, whil I drinke.'
The Pardoneres Prologue.
Title. The Latin text is copied from 1. 334 below ; it appears in the
Ellesmere and Hengwrt MSS. The A. V. has — 'the love of money
is the root of all evil ' ; i Tim. vi. 10. It is well worth notice that the
novel by Morlinus, quoted in vol. iii. p. 442, as a source of the Pardoner's
Tale, contains the expression — 'radice malorum cupiditate affecti.'
336. billies, bulls from the pope, whom he here calls his 'liege lord';
see Prol. A. (^Z^, and Piers the Plowman, B. Prol. 69. See also
Wyclif's Works, ed. Arnold, iii. 308.
alle and so7nine, one and all. Cf. Clerkes Tale, E. 941, and the note.
337. patente; defined by Webster as 'an official document, conferring
aright or privilege on some person or party'; (S:c. It was so called
because ' patent ' or open to public inspection. ' When indulgences
came to be sold, the pope made them part of his ordinary revenue ;
and, according to the usual way in those, and even in much later times,
of farming the revenue, he let them out usually to the Dominican
friars'; Massingberd, Hist. Eng. Reformation, p. 126.
345. 'To colour my devotion with.' For saffron, MS. Karl, reads
savore. Tyrwhitt rightly prefers the reading saffron, as 'more
270 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group c.
expressive, and less likely to have been a gloss.' And he adds —
' Saffron was used to give colour as well as flavour.' For example,
in the Babees Book, cd. Furnivall, p. 275, we read of 'capons
that ben coloured with saffron.' And in Winter's Tale, iv. 3. 48,
the Clown says — ' I must have saffron to colour the warden-pies.'
Cf. Sir Thopas, B. 1920. As to the position of with, cf. Sq. Ta.,
F. 471, 641.
346. According to Tyrwhitt, this line is, in some MSS. (including
Camb. Dd. 4. 24. and Addit. 5140), replaced by three, viz. —
' In euery village and in euery toun,
* This is my terme, and shal, and euer was,
Radix vtaloriim est aepiditas.'
Here terme is an error for temc, a variant of theme ; so that the last
two lines merely repeat 11. 333-4.
347. cristal stones, evidently hollow pieces of crystal in which relics
were kept ; so in the Prologue, A. 700, we have —
' And in a glas he hadde pigges bones.'
348. doutes, rags, bits of cloth. ' The origin of the veneration for
relics may be traced to Acts, xix. 12. Hence clouts, or cloths, are
among the Pardoner's stock' ; note in Bell's edition.
349. Reliks. In the Prologue, we read that he had the Virgin
Mary's veil and a piece of the sail of St. Peter's ship. Below, we have
mention of the shoulder-bone of a holy Jew's sheep, and of a miraculous
mitten. See Heywood's impudent plagiarism from this passage in
his description of a Pardoner, as printed in the note to 1. 701 of
Dr. Morris's edition of Chaucer's Prologue. See also a curious list of
relics in Chambers' Book of Days, i. 587 ; and compare the humorous
descriptions of the pardoner and his wares in Sir David Lyndesay's
Satyre of the Three Estates, 11. 2037-2 121. Chaucer probably here
took several hints from Boccaccio's Decamerone, Day 6, Nov. 10,
wherein Frate Cipolla produces many very remarkable relics to the
public gaze. See also the list of relics in Political, Religious, and
Love Poems, ed. Furnivall (E. E.T. S.), pp. xxxii, 126-9.
850. latoun. The word latten is still in use in Devon and the
North of England for plate tin, but as Halliwell remarks, that is not
the sense of latoun in our older writers. It was a kind of mixed metal,
somewhat resembling brass both in its nature and colour, but still
more like pinchbeck. It was used for helmets (Rime of Sir Thopas,
B. 2067), lavers (P. PL Crede, 196), spoons (Nares), sepulchral
memorials (Way in Prompt. Parv.), and other articles. Todd, in his
Illustrations of Chaucer, p. 350, remarks that the escutcheons on the
tomb of the Black Prince are of laton over-gilt, in accordance with the
Prince's instructions; see Nichols's Royal Wills, p. 67. He adds —
' In our old Church Inventories a cross of laton frequently occurs.'
See Prol. A. 699, and the note. I here copy the description of this
metal given in Batman upon Bartholom^ ; Hb. xvi. c. 5. ' Of Laton.
LI. 346-355.] THE PARDONERES PROLOGUE. 271
Laton is called Auricalcum, and hath that name, for, though it be
brasse or copper, yet it shineth as gold without, as Isidore saith ; for
brasse is calco in Greeke. Also laton is hard as brasse or copper ;
for by medling of copper, of tinne, and of auripigment [orpiraent] and
with other mettal, it is brought in the fire to the colour of gold, as
Jsido7e saith. Also it hath colour and likenesse of gold, but not the
value.'
351. The expression 'holy Jew' is remarkable, as the usual feehng
in the middle ages was to regard all Jews with abhorrence. It is
suggested, in a note to Bell's edition, that it ' must be understood of
some Jew before the Incarnation.' Perhaps the Pardoner wished it to
be understood that the sheep was once the property of Jacob ; this
would help to give force to 1. 365. Cp. Gen. xxx.
The best comment on the virtues of a sheep's shoulder-bone is
afforded by a passage in the Personcs Tale (De Ira), I. 602, where we
find — ' Sweringe sodeynly withoute avysement is eek a sinne. But lat us
go now to thilke horrible swering of adiuracioun and coniuracioun, as
doon thise false enchauntours or nigromanciens in bacins ful of water,
or in a bright swerd, in a cercle, or in a fyr, or in a shitlder-boon of
a sheep'' \ «&:c. Cf. also a curious passage in Trevisa's tr. of Higden's
Polychronicon, lib. i. cap. do, which shews that it was known among
the Flemings who had settled in the west of Wales. He tells us that,
by help of a bone of a wether's right shoulder, from which the flesh had
been boiled (not roasted) away, they could tell what was being done in
far countries, * tokens of pees and of werre, the staat of the reeme,
sleynge of men, and spousebreche.' Selden, in his notes to song 5 of
Drayton's Polyolbion, gives a curious instance of such divination,
taken from Giraldus, Itin. i. cap. 1 1 ; and a writer in the Retrospective
Review, Feb. 1854, p. 109, says it is 'similar to one described by
\Vm. de Rubruquis as practised among the Tartars.' And see spade-
bone in Nares. Cf. Notes and Queries, i S. ii. 20.
In Part I. of the Records of the Folk-lore Society is an article by Mr.
Thoms on the subject of divination by means of the shoulder-bone of
a sheep. He shews that it was still practised in the Scottish Highlands
down to the beginning of the present century, and that it is known in
Greece. He further cites some passages concerning it from some scarce
books ; and ends by saying — ' let me refer any reader desirous of know-
ing more of this wide-spread form of divination to Sir H. Ellis's edition
of Brand's Popular Antiquities, iii. 179, ed. 1842, and to much curious
information respecting Spafidamancia, as it is called by Hartlieb, and
an analogous species of divination ex anserino sterno, to Grimm's
Deutsche Mythologie, 2nd ed. p. 1067.'
355. The sense is — ' which any snake has bitten or stung.' The
reference is to the poisonous effects of the bite of an adder or venomous
snake. The word luorm is used by Shakespeare to describe the asp
whose bite was fatal to Cleopatra ; and it is sometimes used to describe
a dragon of the largest size. In Icelandic, the term ' mi^ar'Ssormr,'
272 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group c.
lit. worm of the middle-earth, signifies a great sea-serpent encompassing
the entire world.
363. Fastinge. This word is spelt with a final e in all seven MSS. ;
and as it is emphatic and followed by a slight pause, perhaps the final e
should be pronounced. Cp. A. S.fcestcnde, the older form of the pre-
sent participle. Otherwise, the first foot consists of but one syllable.
366. For hclcih, MS. HI. has keltth, i. e. cooleth.
379. The final e in siinie must not be elided ; it is preserved by the
caesura. Besides, c is only elided before // in the case of certain words.
387. assotle, absolve. In Michelet's Life of Luther, tr. by W.
Hazlitt, chap, ii, there is a very similar passage concerning Tetzel, the
Dominican friar, whose shameless sale of indulgences roused Luther
to his famous denunciations of the practice. Tetzel ' went about from
town to town, with great display, pomp, and expense, hawking the
commodity [i.e. the indulgences] in the churches, in the public streets,
in taverns and ale-houses. He paid over to his employers as little
as possible, pocketing the balance, as was subsequently proved against
him. The faith of the buyers diminishing, it became necessary to
exaggerate to the fullest extent the merit of the specific. . . . The
intrepid Tetzel stretched his rhetoric to the very uttermost bounds
of amplification. Daringly piling one lie upon another, he set forth,
in reckless display, the long list of evils which this panacea could
cure. He did not content himself with enumerating known sins ;
he set his foul imagination to work, and invented crimes, infamous
atrocities, strange, unheard of, unthought of; and when he saw his
auditors stand aghast at each horrible suggestion, he would calmly
repeat the burden of his song : — Well, all this is expiated the moment
your money chinks in the pope's chest.' This was in the year 1517.
390. An huttdred Jiuifk. A mark was worth about 13^'. 4^., and 100
marks about ;!^66 I'^s. i,d. In order to make allowance for the
difference in the value of money in that age, we must at least multiply
by ten ; or we may say in round numbers, that the Pardoner made
at least ^700 a year. We may contrast this with Chaucer's own pen-
sion of 20 marks, granted him in 1367, and afterwards increased till,
in the very last year of his life, he received in all, according to Sir Harris
Nicolas, as much as £(ii \is. 4d. Even then his income did not quite
attain to the 100 marks which the Pardoner gained so easily.
397. dotvve, a pigeon ; lit. a dove. See a similar line in the Milleres
Tale, A. 3258.
402. waw^/)/, especially, in particular; cf. Kn. Ta. 410 (A. 1068).
406. blakeberied. The line means — ' Though their souls go a-black-
berrying'; i.e. wander wherever they like. This is a well-known
crux, which all the editors have given up as unintelligible. I have
been so fortunate as to obtain the complete solution of it, which
was printed in Notes and Queries, 4 S. x. 222, xii. 45, and again
in my preface to the C-text of Piers the Plowman, p. Ixxxvii. The
simple explanation is that, by a grammatical construction which was
LI. 363-406.] THE PARDONERES PROLOGUE. 273
probably due (as will be shewn) to an error, the verb go could
be combined with what was apparently a past participle, in such
a manner as to give the participle the force of a verbal substantive.
In other words, instead of saying * he goes a-hunting,* our forefathers
sometimes said ' he goes a-hunted.' The examples of this use are at
least seven. The clearest is in Piers Plowman, C. ix. 13S, where we
read of* folk that gon a-begged,' i.e. folk that go a-begging. In Chaucer,
we not only have 'goon a-begged,' Frank. Tale, F. 1580, and the
instance in the present passage, but yet a third example in the Wyf of
Bath's Tale, Group D. 354, where we have 'goon a-caterwawed,*
with the sense of 'to go a-caterwauling '; and it is a fortunate circum-
stance that in two of these cases the idiomatic forms occur at the end of
a line, so that the rime has preserved them from being tampered with.
Gower (Conf. Amant. bk. i. ed. Chalmers, pp. 32, 33, or ed. Paul!,
i. 1 10) speaks of a king of Hungary riding out ' in the month of May,'
adding —
'This king with noble purueiance
Hath for him-selfe his chare \car\ arayed,
Wherein he wolde ryde anuiyed,' iSic.
that is, wherein he wished to ride a-Maying. Again (in bk. v, ed.
Chalmers, p. 124, col. 2, or ed. Pauli, ii. 132) we read of a drunken
priest losing his way : —
' This prest was dronke, and goih a-strayecV',
i.e. he goes a-straying, or goes astray.
The explanation of this construction I take to be this ; the -^^ was
not really a sign of the past participle, but a corruption of the ending
'eth (A. S. -a^) which is sometimes found at the end of a verbal sub-
stantive. Hence it is that, in the passage from Piers Plowman above
quoted, one of the best and earliest MSS. actually reads ' folk that gon
a-beggeth.' And again, in another passage (P. PI., C. ix. 246) is the
phrase 'gon abrybeth,' or, in some MSS., *gon abrybed,' i.e. go
a-bribing or go a-thieving, since Mid. Eng. briben often means to rob.
This form is clearly an imitation of the form a-htinteth in the old
phrase gon a-hiinieth or riden an honieih, used by Robert of Gloucester
(Specimens of English, ed. Morris and Skeat, p. 14, 1. 387) : —
' As he rod an honteth, and par-auntre [h]is hors spurnde.'
Now this honteth is the dat. case of a substantive, viz. of the A. S.
hiiniad or huniocf. This substantive would easily be mistaken for
a part of a verb, and, particularly, for the past participle of a verb ;
just as many people at this day are quite unable to distinguish between
the true verbal substantive and the present participle in -ing. This
mistake once established, the ending -ed would be freely used after
the verbs ^c? or ride. In D. 1 778, we even find,;^^ walked, without a.
The result is .that the present phrase, hitherto so puzzling, is a mere
variation of ' gon a blake-berying,' i.e. ' go a-gathering blackberries,'
a humorous expression for ' wander wherever they please.' A not very
if. if, -if.
* *
274 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group c.
dissimilar expression occurs in the proverbial saying — 'his wits are
gone a-wool-gathering.'
The Pardoner says, in effect, ' I promise them full absolution ;
however, when they die and are buried, it matters little to me in what
direction their souls go.'
407. Tyrwhitt aptly adduces a parallel passage from the Romaunt
of the Rose, 1. 5763 (or 1. 5129 in the French) —
' For oft good predicacioun
Cometh of evel entencioun.'
'Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife '; Phil. i. 15.
413. In Piers Plowman (B-text), v. 87, it is said of Envy that—
' Eche a worde that he warpe " was of an addres tonge.'
Cf. Rom. iii. 13 ; Ps. cxl. 3.
440, /or I teche, because I teach, by my teaching.
441. Wilful poueric signifies voluntary poverty. This is well illus-
trated by the following lines concerning Christ in Piers Plowman,
B. XX. 48, 49: —
' Syth he that wroughte al the worlde • was wilfullich nedy,
Ne neuer non so nedy • ne pouerer deyde.'
Several examples occur in Richardson's Dictionary in which wilfully
has the sense of willingly or TJoluniarily. Thus—' If they wylfully
would renounce the sayd place and put them in his grace, he wolde
vtterlye pardon theyr trespace'; Fabyan's Chronicle, c. 114. It even
means ^/m//K; thus in Wyclifs Bible, Acts xxi. 17, we find, 'britherin
resseyuyden vs wilfulli.^ Speaking of palmers, Speght says — ' The
pilgrim travelled at his own charge, the palmer professed wilful
poverty.'
The word wilful still means willing in Warwickshire ; see Eng,
Dialect Soc. Gloss. C. 6.
445. The context seems to imply that some of the apostles made
baskets. So in Piers Plowman, B. xv. 285, we read of St. Paul —
' Poule, after his prechyng • pa7tyc7-s he made.'
Yet in Acts xviii. 3 we only read that he wrought as a tent-maker.
However, it was St. Paul who set the example of labouring with his
hands ; and, in imitation of him, we find an early example of basket-
making by St. Arsenius, ' who, before he turned hermit, had been the
tutor of the emperors Arcadius and Honorius,' and who is represented
in a fresco in the Campo Santo at Pisa, by Pietro Laurati, as ' weaving
baskets of palm-leaves'; whilst beside him another hermit is cutting
wooden spoons, and another is fishing. See Mrs. Jameson's Sacred and
Legendary Art, 3rd ed. ii. 757.
Note that basket tes is trisyllabic, as in Palladius on Husbandry,
bk. xii. 1. 307.
448. The best description of the house-to-house system of begging,
as adopted by the mendicant friars, is near the beginning of the
LI. 407-474-] THE PARDONERES TALE. 275
Sompnour's Tale, D. 1738. They went in pairs to the farm-houses,
begging a bushel of wheat, or malt, or rye, or a piece of cheese or
brawn, or bacon or beef, or even a piece of an old blanket. Nothing
seems to have come amiss to them.
450. See Prologue, A. 255 ; and cf. the description of the poor
widow at the beginning of the Nonne Prestes Tale, B. 401 1.
The Pardoneres Tale. '
For some account of the source of this Tale, see vol. iii. p. 439. The
account which I here quote as the 'Italian' text is that contained in
Novella Ixxxii of the Libro di Novelle.
Observe also the quotations from Pope Innocent given in vol. iii.
pp. 444, 445. To which may be added, that Chaucer here frequently
quotes from his Persones Tale, which must have been written
previously. Compare 11. 475, 482, 504, 529, 558, 590, 631-650, with
I. 591, 836, 819, 820, 822, 793, 587-593.
463. In laying the scene in Flanders, Chaucer probably followed an
original which is now lost. Andrew Borde, in his amusing Introduction
of Knowledge, ch. viii, says: — ' Flaunders is a plent>'full countre of
fyshe & fleshe & wyld fowle. Ther shal a man be clenly serued at his
table, & well ordred and vsed for meate & drynke & lodgyng. The
countre is playn, & somwhat sandy. The people be gentyl, but the
men be great drynkers ; and many of the women be vertuous and wel
dysposyd.' He describes the Fleming as saying —
* I am a Fleming, what for all that,
Although I wyll be dronken other whyles as a rat ?
" Buttermouth Flemyng" men doth me call,' &c.
464. haiinteden, followed after ; cf. note to 1. 547. The same
expression occurs in The Tale of Beryn, a spurious (but not ill-told)
addition to the Canterbury Tales : —
^ Foly, I haunted it ever, ther myght no man me let'; 1. 2319.
473. grisly, terrible, enough to make one shudder. It is exactly the
right word. The mention of these oaths reminds us of the admission
of my Uncle Toby in Sterne's Tristram Shandy, ch. xi, that ' our
armies swore terribly in Flanders.^
474. to-tere, tear in pieces, dismember. Cf. to-renie in B. 3215;
see note on p. 229. Chaucer elsewhere says — 'For Cristes sake
ne swereth nat so sinfully, in dismembringe of Crist, by soule, herte,
bones, and body ; for certes it semeth, that ye thinke that the cursede
lewes ne dismembred nat ynough the preciouse persone of Crist, but
ye dismembre him more'; Persones Tale [De Ira), I. 591. And see
II. 629-659 below.
*And than Seint Johan seid — "These [who are thus tormented in
T 2
276 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group c.
hell] ben thei that sweren bi Goddes membris, as bi his nayles and
other his membris, and thei thus dismembrid God in horrible swerynge
bi his limmes '; Vision of Wm. Staunton (a. D. 1409), quoted in Wright's
St. Patrick's Purgatory, p. 146. In the Plowman's Tale (Chaucer,
ed. 1561, fol. xci) we have —
' And Cristes membres al to-tere
On roode as he were newe yrent.'
Barclay, in his Ship of Fools (ed. Jamieson, i. 97), says —
' Some sweryth armes, naylys, herte, and body,
Terynge our Lord worse than the Jowes hym arayed.'
And again (ii. 130) he complains of swearers who crucify Christ afresh,
swearing by ' his holy membres,' by his ' blode,' by ' his face, his herte,
or by his croune of thorne,' &c. See also, the Ayenbite of Inwyt,
p. 64 ; Political, &c.. Poems, ed. Furnivall, p. 193 ; Wyclifs Works,
ed. Matthew, pp. 60, 278, 499. Todd, in his Illustrations of Chaucer,
p. 264, quotes (from an old MS.) the old second commandment in the
following form : —
'IL Thi goddes name and b[e]autte
Thou shalt not take for wel nor wo ;
Dismembre hym not that on rode-tre
For the was mad boyth blak and bio."
477. tovibesteres, female dancers. * Sir Perdicas, whom that kinge
Alysandre made to been his heire in Grece, was of no ki«ges blod ;
his dame [jnothej-] was a to?//bystere ' ; Testament of Love, Book ii.
ed. 1 561, fol. ccxcvi b.
Tombestere is the feminine form ; the A. S. spelling would be iionb-
estre ; the masc. form is the A. S. tianbet-e, which is glossed by saltaior,
i.e. a dancer; the verb is tumbimi, to dance, used of Herodias'
daughter in the A. S. version of Mark, vi. 22. The medieval idea of
iiimbli7ig was, that the lady stood on her hands with her heels in the
air; see Strutt, Sports, &c. bk. iii. c. 5.
On the feminine termination -ster (formerly -estre, or -stre) see the
remarks in Marsh's Lectures on the English Language, printed in (the
so-called) Smith's Student's Manual of the English Language, ed. 1862,
pp. 207, 208, with an additional note at p. 217. Marsh's remarks are,
in this case, less clear than usual. He shews that the termination was
not always used as a feminine, and that, in fact, its force was early lost.
It is, however, merely a question of chronology. That the termination
was originally feminine in Anglo-Saxon, is sufficiently proved by the
A. S. version of the Gospels. There we find the word loitega frequently
used in the sense ol prophet \ but, in one instance, where it is necessary
to express y^^ feminine, we find this accomplished by the use of this
very termination. 'And anna waes itniegystre (another MS. un/e'
gesfre) '; i. e. and Anna was 2l prophetess, Luke, ii. 36. Similar instances
might easily be multiplied; see Dr. Morris's Hist. Outlines of Eng.
Accidence, pp. 89, 90. Thus, wasshcsti'en (pi.) is used as the trans-
LI. 477-488.] THE PARDONERES TALE. 277
lation of lotriccs ; Old Eng. Homilies, ed. Morris, ii. 57. But it is also
true that, in the fourteenth century, the feminine force of this termina-
tion was becoming very weak, so that, whilst in P. Plowman, B. v. 306,
we find ' Beton the brewestere ' applied to a female brewer, we cannot
thence certainly conclude that ' brewestere ' was always feminine at
that period. On the other hand, we may point to one word, spinster^
which has remained feminine to this very day.
Dr. Morris remarks that toiiibestci-e is a hybrid word ; in which
I believe that he has been misled by the spelling. It is a pure native
word, from the A. S. iuvibtan, but the scribes have turned it from
tumbesiere into iovibestere, by confusion with the French toviber. Yet
even the Fr. toviber was once spelt tunibcr (Burguy, Roquefort), being,
in fact, a word of Germanic origin. An acrobat can still be called
a tumbler : we find ' rope-dancers and tumblers ' in Locke, Conduct of
the Understanding, § 4. Indeed, the Cambridge MS. has here the true
spelling tu/nbesterls, whilst the Corpus, Petworth, and Lansdowne MSS.
have the variations tomblistcres and tomblestcrs. The A. S. masc.
form tumberc occurs in /Elfric's Vocabulary.
As to the source of the suffix -ster^ it is really a compound suffix, due
to composition of the Aryan suffixes -es and -ter- ; cf. Lat. mag-ts-ter,
7nin-is-ter, poet-as-ter. The feminine use is peculiar to Anglo-Saxon
and to some other Teutonic languages.
478. fruytesteres, female sellers of fruit ; see note to last line.
479. zuafereres, sellers of confectionery, confectioners. The feminine
form wafrestre occurs in Piers Plowman, v. 641. From Beaumont
and Fletcher we learn that * wafer-women ' were often employed in
amorous embassies, as stated in Nares' Glossarj', q.v.
483. holy writ. In the margin of the MSS. E. Hn. Cp. Pt. and
HI. is the note — ' Nolite inebriari vino, in quo est luxuria,' quoted from
the Vulgate version of Eph. v. 18. See vol. iii. p. 444.
487. Cp. Ln. have here two additional spurious lines. Cp. reads —
' So drunke he was, he nyste what he wrought,
Attd therfore sore repente him oughte.
Heroudes, who-so wole the stories seche,
Tlier may ye lerne and by ensample teche^
Of the second line. Dr. Furnivall remarks — ' Besides being a line of
only 4 measures, it is foolish — how could Lot in the grave repent
him ? Both lines [those in italics] interrupt the flow of the story, and
weaken the instances brought forward.' He adds — * None of our best
MSS. have these spurious lines.'
They evidently arose from the stupidity of some scribe, who did not
understand that soghfe is here the pt. t. subj., meaning 'were to seek.*
He therefore ' corrected ' Chaucer's grammar by writing ivol for wel
and seche for soghte ; and he then had to make up two more lines to
hide the alteration.
488. ' Herod, (as may be seen by any one) who would consult the
278 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group c.
" stories " carefully.' The Harleian MS. has the inferior reading story\
but the reference is particular, not vague. Peter Comestor (died A, D.
1 198) was the author of an Historia Scholastica, on which account he was
called ' the maister of stories,' or * clerk of the stories,' as explained in
my note to Piers Plowman, B. vii. ']'>). The use of the plural is due to
the fact that the whole Historia Scholastica, which is a sort of epitome
of the Bible, with notes and additions, is divided into sections, each
of which is also called ' Historia.' The account of Herod occurs,
of course, in the section entitled Historia Evangelica, cap. Ixxii ; De
decollatione ioannis. Cf. Matt, xiv ; Mark vi. And see vol. iii. p. 444.
492. Senek, Seneca. The reference appears to be, as pointed out
by Tyrwhitt, to Seneca's Letters ; Epist. Ixxxiii : ' Extende in plurcs
dies ilium ebrii habitum : numquid de furore dubitabis ? nunc quoque
non est minor, sed brevior.'
496. ' Except that madness, when it has come upon a man of evil
nature, lasts longer than does a fit of drunkenness.' See Shrew in
Trench, Select Glossary.
499. 'First cause of our misfortune'; alluding to the Fall of Adam.
See 1. 505.
50L boght ns agayn^ redeemed us ; a translation of the Latin
redeviit. Hence we find Christ called, in Middle English, the
Ayndyer. ' See now how dere he [Christ] boughte man, that he made
after his owne ymage, and how dere he ayfiboght us, for the grete love
that he hadde to us'; Sir J. Maundeville, Prologue to his Voiage
(Specimens of Eng^. 1298-1393, p. 165). See 1. 766 below.
504. Cf. Pers. Tale, L 819.
505. Here, in the margin of MS. E. Hn. Cp. Pt. HI., is a quotation
from 'Hieronymus contra Jovinianum' (i.e. from St. Jerome):
'Quamdiu ieiunauit Adam, in Paradiso fuit ; comedit et eiectus est;
eiectus, statim duxit uxorem.' See Hieron. contra Jov. lib. ii. c. 15;
ed. Migne, ii. 305.
510. defended, forbidden. Even Milton has it ; see P. Lost, xi. 86.
See also I. 590 below.
512. 'O gluttony! it would much behove us to complain of thee!'
See vol. iii. pp. 444, 445. The quotation 'Noli auidus' (iii. 445) is
from the close of Ecclus. xxxvii.
517. Here Chaucer is thinking of a passage in Jerome, which also
occurs in John of Salisbury's Policraticus, lib. viii. c. 6. In such
cases, Chaucer consulted Jerome himself, rather than his copyist, as
might be shewn. I therefore quote from the former.
' Propter breuem gulae uoluptatem, terrae lustrantur et maria : et ut
mulsum uinum preciosusque cibus fauces notras transeat, totius uitae
opera desudamus.' — Hieronymus, contra louinianum, lib. ii.; in Epist.
Hieron. Basil. 1524, t. ii. p. 76.
At the same time, he had an eye to the passage in Pope Innocent,
quoted in vol. iii. p. 445. ' The shorte throte ' answers to * Tarn breuis
est,' tS:c.
LI. 492-549-] THE PARDONERES TALE. 279
522. In the margin of MSS. E. and Hn. is written the quotation — ''
'Esca ventri, et venter escis. Deus autem et hunc et illam destruet.'
For ilhvn, the usual reading of the Vulgate is has ; see i Cor. vi. 13.
526. u'hyte and rede, white wine and red wine ; see note to Piers
Plowman, B. prol. 228, and the note to B. 4032 above, p. 249.
527. Again from Jerome (see note to 1. 517). * Oualis [est] ista
refectio post ieiunium, cum pridianis epulis distendimur, et guttur
nostrum meditatorium efficitur latftJiaru//iJ — Hicron. c. louin. lib. ii. ;
in Epist. Hieron. Basil. 1524, t. ii. p. 78.
529. In the margin of MSS. E. and Hn. is written — *Ad Philipenses,
capitulo tertio.' See Phil. iii. 18, Ci. Pers. Tale, I. 820.
534. See the quotation in vol. iii. p. 445.
537. 'How great toil and expense (it is) to provide for thee!'
Chaucer is here addressing man's appetite for delicacies. Cf. fond,
Non. Pr. Tale, B. 4019.
538. Sec the quotation in vol. iii. p. 445.
There is a somewhat similar passage in John of Salisbury, as
follows : —
' Multiplicantur fercula, cibi alii aliis farciuntur, condiuntur haec
illis, et in iniuriam naturae, innatum relinquere, et alienum coguntur
afferre saporem. Conficiuntur et salsamcnta . . . Coquorum solici-
tudo fervet arte multiplici,' iSic- Joh. Salisburiensis, Policraticus, lib.
viii. c. 6.
539. There is here an allusion to the famous disputes in scholastic
philosophy between the Realists and Nominalists. To attempt any
explanation of their language is to become lost in subtleties of
distinction. It would seem however that the Realists maintained
that everything possesses a substance, which is inherent in itself, and
distinct from the accidents or outward phenomena which the thing
presents. According to them, the form, smell, taste, colour, of anything
are merely accidents, and might be changed without affecting the
substatice itself. See the excellent article on Substance in the Engl.
Cyclopaedia ; also that on Nominalists. Cf. Wyclif s Works, ed.
Matthew, p. 526.
According to Chaucer, then, or rather, according to Pope Inno-
cent III., (of all people), the cooks who toil to satisfy man's appetite
change the nature of the things cooked so effectual!y as to confound
substance with accident. Translated into plain language, it means
that those who partook of the meats so prepared, could not, by means
of their taste and smell, form any precise idea as to what they were
eating. The art is not lost. Cf. Troil. iv. 1505.
547. hatmteth, practises, indulges in; cf. 1. 464. In the margin of
MSS. E. and Hn. is written — ' Qui autem in deliciis est, viuens mortuus
est.' This is a quotation from the \'ulgate version of i Tim. v. 6, but
with Qui for quae, and mortuus for inortua.
549. In the margin of MSS. E. and Hn. is written — 'Luxuriosa res
vinum, et contumeliosa ebrietas.' The Vulgate version of Prov. xx. i
28o NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group c.
agrees with this nearly, but has tumultuosa for contumeliosa. This is
of course the text to which Chaucer refers. And see note to the
parallel passage at B. 771-7. The variant contumeliosa occurs in the
text as quoted by St. Jerome, Contra Jovinianum, lib. ii. 10 (Kdppel).
654. He means that the drunkard's stertorous breathing seems to
repeat the sound of the word Sainpsoun. The word was probably
chosen for the sake of its nasal sounds, to imitate a sort of grunt.
Perhaps we should here pronounce the m and « as in French, but with
exaggerated emphasis. So also in 1. 572.
655. See note to the Monkes Tale, B. 3245. In Judges, xiii. 4, 7, the
command to drink no wine is addressed, not to Samson, but to his
mother. Of Samson himself it is said that he was 'a Nazarite,' which
implies the same thing ; see Numbers, vi. 3, 5.
658. sepulture, burial; see Pers. Tale, I. 822.
561. In Chaucer's Tale of I^Ielibeus (B. 2383) we find— 'Thou shalt
also eschewe the conseiling of folk that been dronkelewe ; for they ne
can no conseil hyde ; for Salomon seith, Ther is no privetee ther-as
regneth dronkenesse '; and see B. 776. The allusion is to Prov.
xxxi. 4 : ' Noli regibus, O Lamuel, noli regibus dare uinum ; quia
nullum secretum est ubi regnat ebrietas.' This last clause is quite
different from that in our own version ; which furnishes, perhaps,
a reason why the allusion here intended has not been perceived by
previous editors.
563. «rt;//r/j', especially. Tynvhitt's note is as follows: 'According
to the geographers, Lepe was not far from Cadiz. This wine, of what-
ever sort it may have been, was probably much stronger than the
Gascon wines, usually drunk in England. La Rochelle and Bordeaux
(1. 571), the two chief ports of Gascony, were both, in Chaucer's time,
part of the English dominions.
* Spanish wines might also be more alluring upon account of their
great rarity. Among the Orders of the Royal Household, in 1604, is
the following (MS. Harl. 293, fol. 162) : "And whereas, in tymes past,
Spanish wines, called Sacke, were little or noe whit used in our courte,
and that in later years, though not of ordinary allowance, it was thought
convenient that noblemen . . . might have a boule or glas, &c. We
understanding that it is now used as common drinke . . . reduce the
allowance to xii. gallons a day for the court," ' &c. Several regulations
to be observed by London vintners are mentioned in the Liber Albus,
ed. Riley, pp. 614-618. Amongst them is — 'Item, that white wine of
Gascoigne, of la Rochele, of Spain, or other place, shall not be put in
cellars with Rhenish wines.' See also note to 1. 565.
564. To selle, for sale ; the true gerund, of which to is, in Anglo-
Saxon, the sign. So also 'this house to lef is the correct old idiom,
needing no such alteration as some would make. Cf. Morris, Hist.
Outlines of Eng. Accidence, sect. 290, subsect. 4. Fish Street leads out
of Lower Thames Street, close to the North end of London Bridge.
The Harleian MS. alone reads Fleet Street^ which is certainly wrong.
LI. 554-579.] THE PARDONERES TALE. 281
Considering that Thames Street is especially mentioned as a street
for vintners (Liber Albus, p. 614), and that Chaucer's own father was
a Thames Street vintner, there can be little doubt about this matter. The
poet is here speaking from his own knowledge ; a consideration which
gives the present passage a peculiar interest. Chcpe is Cheapside.
565. This is a fine touch. The poet here tells us that some of this
strong Spanish wine used to find its way mysteriously into other wines ;
not (he ironically suggests) because the vintners ever mixed their wines,
but because the vines of Spain notoriously grew so close to those of
Gascony that it was not possible to keep them apart ! Crepeih subtilly=
finds its way mysteriously. Observe the humour in the word growings
which expresses that the mixture of wines must be due to the proxi-
mity of the vines producing them in the vineyards, not to any accidental
proximity of the casks containing them in the vintners' cellars. In fact,
the different kinds of wine were to be kept in different cellars, as the
Regulations in the Liber Albus (pp. 615-618) shew. 'Item, that no
Taverner shall put Rhenish wine and \\'hite wine in a cellar together.
' Item, that new wines shall not be put in cellars with old wines.' 'Item,
that White wine of Gascoigne, of la Rochele, of Spain, or other place
shall not be put in cellars with Rhenish wines.' ' Item, that white wine
shall not be sold for Rhenish wine.' * Item, that no one shall expose
for sale wines counterfeit or mixed, made by himself or by another,
under pain of being set upon the pillory.' But pillories have vanished,
and all such laws are obsolete.
570. * He is in Spain'; i.e. he is, as it were, transported thither.
He imagines he has never left Cheapside, yet is far from knowing
where he is, as we should say.
57 L ' Not at Rochelle,' where the wines are weak.
579. ' The death of Attila took place in 453. The commonly received
account is that given by Jornandes, that he died by the bursting of
a blood-vessel on the night of his marriage with a beautiful maiden,
whom he added to his many other wives ; some, with a natural
suspicion, impute it to the hand of his bride. Priscus observes, that
no one ever subdued so many countries in so short a time. . . . Jorn-
andes, De Rebus Geticis, and Priscus, Excerpta de Legationibus,
furnish the best existing materials for the history of .Attila. For
modem compilations, see Buat, Histoire des Peuples de I'Europe ;
De Guignes, Hist, des Huns; and Gibbon, capp. xxxiv and xxxv';
English Cyclopaedia. And see Amedee Thierry, Histoire d'Attila.
Mr. Jephson (in Bell's Chaucer) quotes the account of Attila's death
given by Paulus Diaconus, Gest. Rom. lib. xv : ' Qui reuersus ad
proprias sedes, supra plures quas habebat uxores, valde decoram,
indicto nomine, sibi in matrimonium iunxit. Ob cuius nuptias profusa
conuiuia exercens, dum tantum uini quantum nunquam antea insimul
bibisset, cum supinus quiesceret, eruptione sanguinis, qui ei de naribus
solitus erat effluere, sufifocatus et extinctus est.'
The older account in Jornandes, Ue Rebus Geticis, § 82, is of more
282 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group c.
interest. * Qui [Attila], ut Priscus historicus refert, extinctionis suae
tempore puellam, Ildico nomine, decoram valde, sibi in matrimonium
post innumerabiles uxores, vt mos est gentis illius, socians : eiusque
in nuptiis magna hilaritate resolutus, vino somnoque grauatus, resu-
pinus iacebat ; redundansque sanguis, qui ei solite do naribus effluebat,
dum consuetis meatibus impeditur, itinere ferali faucibus illapsus eum
extinxit.'
585. Lamucl, i.e. King Lemuel, mentioned in Prov. xxxi. i, q. v. ;
not to be confused, says Chaucer, with Samuel. The allusion is to
Prov. xxxi. 4, 5 ; and not (as Mr. Wright suggests) to Prov, xxiii. In
fact, in the margin of MSS. E. and Hn. is written * Noli uinum dare,'
words found in Prov. xxxi. 4, See note to 1. 561.
590. Compare Pers. Tale, L 793.
59L Hasivd, gambling. In the margin of MSS. E. and Hn. is
written — ' Policratici libro primo ; Mendaciorum et periuriarum mater
est Alea.' This shews that the line is a quotation from lib. i. [cap. 5]
of the Polycraticus of John of Salisbury, bishop of Chartres, who died
in 1 180. See some account of this work in Prof. Morley's Eng.
Writers, iii. iSo. * In the first book, John treats of temptations and
duties and of vanities, such as hunting, dice, music, mimes and
minstrelsy, magic and soothsaying, prognostication by dreams and
astrology.' See also the account of gaming, considered as a branch
of Avarice in the Ayenbyte of Inwyt, ed. Morris, pp. 45, 46.
595. Cf. ' Nonne satis improbata est cuiusque artis exercitatio, qua
quanto quisque doctior, tanto nequior ? Aleator quidem omnis hie est.' —
Job. Sarisb. Polycrat. i. 5.
603. Stilbon, It should rather be Chilon. Tyrwhitt remarks—
'John of Salisbury, from whom our author probably took this story
and the following, calls him Chiloti ; Polycrat. lib. i. c. 5. " Chilon
Lacedaemonius, iungendae societatis causa missus Corinthum, duces
et seniores populi ludentes inuenit in alea. Infecto itaque negotio
reuersus est [dicens se nolle gloriam Spartanorum, quorum uirtus
constructo Byzantio clarescebat, hac maculare infamia, ut dicerentur
cum aleatoribus contraxisse societatem]." Accordingly, in ver. 12539
[I. 605], MS. C. I [i.e. MS. Camb. Univ. Lib. Dd. 4. 24] reads very
rightly Laccdomyc instead of Calidone, the common reading [of the
old editions]. Our author has used ht{ore Lacedomie {or Lacedae>/ton,
v. 1 1692 [Frank. Tale, F. 13S0].'
In the Petw. MS., the name ^///i^i?;? is explained as meaning Mercurius.
So, in Liddell and Scott's Gk. Lexicon, we have 'ariXlicov, -ovms, 6, the
planet Mercury, Arist. Mund. 2. 9 ; cf. Cic. Nat. D, 2. 20.' The
original sense of the word was 'shining,' from the verb a-TiXfifiv, to glitter.
Chaucer has given the wrong name. He was familiar with the name
Stilbon (for Mercury), as it occurs (i) in the Epistola Valerii ad
Rufinum, c. 27 ; (2) in the work of Martianus referred to in E. 1732 ;
and (3) in the Anticlaudian, Distinctio quarta, c. 6. Cf. D. 671 ; E.
1732 ; Ho. Fame, 986; Notes and Queries, 8th S. iv. 175.
LI. 585-641.] THE PARDONERES TALE. 283
608. The first foot has but one syllable, viz. Pley. atfe, for ai the.
Tyrwhitt oddly remarks here, that ' atte has frequently been cor-
rupted into ai the^ viz. in the old editions. Of course atte is rather,
etymologically, a corruption of <?/"///<? ; Tyrwhitt probably means that
the editors might as well have let the form atte stand. If so, he is
quite right ; for, though etymologically a corruption, it was a recognised
form in the fourteenth century.
621. This story immediately follows the one quoted from John of
Salisbury in the note to 1. 603. After ' societatem,' he proceeds : —
* Regi quoque Demetrio, in opprobrium puerilis leuitatis, tali aurei
a rege Parthorum dati sunt.' What Demetrius this was, we are not
told ; perhaps it may have been Demetrius Nicator, king of Syria, who
was defeated and taken prisoner by the I'arthians 138 B.C., and
detained in captivity by them for ten years. This, however, is but
a guess. Compare the story told of our own king, in Shakespeare's
Henry V, Act i. sc. 2.
628. To dryve the day awey, to pass the time. The same phrase
occurs in Piers Plowman, B. prol. 224, where it is said of the labourers
who tilled the soil that they ' dryuen forth the longe day with Diett
vous saue, Davie emvie^ i. e. amuse themselves with singing idle songs.
633. In the margin of MSS. E. Hn. and Pt. is the quotation
'Nolitc omnino iurare,' with a reference (in Hn. only) to Matt. v. The
Vulgate version of Matt. v. 34 is — 'Ego autem dico uobis, non iurare
omnino, neque per caelum, quia thronus Dei est.'
635. In the margin of MSS. E. Hn. Pt. is written — * leremie quarto
lurabis in veritate, in ludicio, et lusticia'; see Jer. iv. 2.
There are several points of resemblance between the present passage
and one in the Persones Tale {De Ira), I. 588-594, part of which has
been already quoted in the note to 1. 474. So also Wyclif : ' jit no man
schulde swere, nouther for life ne dethe, no but with these thre con-
diciones, that is, in treuthe, in dome, and in rightwisenes, as God sais
by the prophet leremye '; Works, ed. Arnold, iii. 483. Hence one of
the *olde bokes' mentioned in 1. 630 is the Treatise by Frfere Lorens
from which the Persones Tale is largely taken.
639. the Jirste table, i. e. the commandments that teach us our
duty towards God ; those in the second table teach us our duty to our
neighbour.
641. scconde heste, second commandment. Formerly, the first two
commandments were considered as one ; the third commandment was
therefore the second, as here. The tenth commandment was divided
into two parts, to make up the number. See \\'yclif s treatise on ' The
ten Comaundements '; Works, ed. Arnold, iii. 82. Thus Wyclif says—
* The secounde maner maundement of God perteyneth to the Sone.
Thow schalt not take the name of thi Lord God in veyn, ne))^er in
word, nei}ier in lyvynge.' So also in Hampole's Prose Treatises, ed.
Perry, p. 10 ; Religious Pieces in Prose and Verse, ed. Perry (E.E. T. S.),
pp. 5, 25. See note to 1. 474 ; and cf. Pers. Tale, I. 588.
284 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group c.
643. rather, sooner ; because this commandment precedes those
which relate to murder, &c.
646. 'They that understand his commandments know this,' (S:c.
649. Wychf says — ' P'or it is written in Ecclesiasticus, the thre and
twenti chapitre, there he seith this : A man much sweringe schal be ful-
filled with wickidnesse, and veniaunce schal not go away fro his hous';
Works, iii. 84. Chaucer here quotes the same text ; see Ecclus. xxiii. 1 1.
And he quotes it once more, in I. 593.
651. So Wyclif, iii. 483 — 'hit is not leeful to swere by creaturis, ne
by Goddys bonys, sydus, naylus, ne armus, or by ony membre of Cristis
body, as ])e moste dele of men usen.'
Tyrwhitt says — ' his nayles, i. e. with which he was nailed to the cross.
Sir J. ISIaundevi le, c. vii — " And thereby in the walle is the place where
the 4 Nayles of our Lord weren hidd ; for he had 2 in his hondes, and 2
in his feet : and one of theise the Emperoure of Constantynoble made
a brydille to his hors, to here him in bataylle ; and thorgh vertue
thereof he overcame his enemies," (Sec. He had said before, c. ii., that
" on of the nayles that Crist was naylled with on the cross '' was " at
Constantynoble ; and on in France, in the kinges chapelle." '
Mr. Wright adds, what is doubtless true, that these nails * were
objects of superstition in the middle ages.' Nevertheless, I am by no
means satisfied that these comments are to the point. I strongly
suspect that swearers did not stop to think, nor were they at all
particular as to the sense in which the words might be used. Here,
for example, nails are mentioned between Jicart and blood ; in the
quotation from Wyclif which begins this note, we find mention of
* bones, sides, nails, and arms,' followed by ' any mfember of Christ's
body.' Still more express is the phrase used by William Staunton
(see note to 1. 474 above) that ' God's members' include ' his nails.'
On the other hand, in Lewis's Life of Pecock, p. 155 [or p. 107,
ed. 1820], is a citation from a MS. to the effect that, in the year
1420, many men died in England 'emittendo sanguinem per iuncturas
et per secessum, scilicet in illis partibus corporis per quas horribiliter
iurare consueuerunt, scilicet, per oculos Christi, perfaciem Christi, per
latera Christi, per sanguinem Christi, per cor Christi preciosum, per
clauos Christi in suis manibus et pedibus.' See 'Snails in Nares'
Glossary. A long essay might be written upon the oaths found in our
old authors, but the subject is, I think, a most repulsive one.
652. Here Tyrwhitt notes — ' The Abbey of Hailes, in Glocestershire,
was founded by Richard, king of the Romans, brother to Henry HI.
This precious relick, which was afterwards called "the blood of
Hailes," was brought out of Germany by the son of Richard, Edmund,
who bestowed a third part of it upon his father's Abbey of Hailes, and
some time after gave the other two parts to an Abbey of his own
foundation at Ashrug near Berkhamsted. — HoUinshed, vol. ii. p. 275.'
The Legend says that the holy blood was obtained by Titus from
Joseph of Arimathea. Titus put it in the temple of Peace, in Rome.
LI. 643-656.] THE PARDONERES TALE. 285
Thence Charlemagne took half of it to Germany, where Edmund
found it, as said above. The Legend is printed in Horstmann's
Altenglische Legenden, p. 275. 'A vial was shewn at Hales in
Glocestershire, as containing a portion of our blessed Saviour's blood,
which suffered itself to be seen by no person in a state of mortal sin,
but became visible when the penitent, by his offerings, had obtained
forgiveness. It was now discovered that this was performed by keep-
ing blood, which was renewed every week, in a vial, one side of which
was thick and opaque, the other transparent, and turning it by a secret
hand as the case required. A trick of the same kind, more skilfully
executed, is still annually performed at Naples.' — Southey, Book
of the Church, ch. xii. He refers to Fuller, b. vi. Hist, of Abbeys,
p. 323; Burnet, i. 323, ed. 1681. See also the word Hales in the
Index to the works published by the Parker Society ; Pilgrimages to
Walsingham and Canterbury (by Erasmus), ed. J. G. Nichols, 2nd ed.
1875, p. 88 ; Dodsley's Old Plays, ed. Hazlitt, i. 339, where a long
account is given, with a reference to Heame's ed. of Benedictus
Abbas, ii. 751 ; and Skelton's Garland of Laurel, 1. l46i,on which see
Dyce's note.
653. ' My chance is seven ; yours is five and three.' This is an allu-
sion to the particular game called hazard, not to a mere comparison of
throws to see which is highest. A certain throw (here seven) is called
the caster's chajtce. This can only be understood by an acquaintance
with the rules of the game. See the article Hazard m Supplement to
Eng. Cyclopaedia, or in Hoyle's Games. See the note to B. 124 ; and
see the Monkes Tale, B. 385 1. Compare — ' Not unlyke the use of foule
gamesters, who having lost the maine by [i.e. according to] true
iudgement, thinke to face it out with a false oath'; Lyly's Euphues
and his England, ed. Arber, p. 289.
G56. In the Towneley Mysteries, p. 241, when the soldiers dice for
Christ's garments, one says —
' I was falsly begj'led withe thise byched bones,
Ther cursyd thay be.'
The readings are : — E. Cp. btcched; Ln. becched; HI. bicc/ied ; Hn.
Cm. bt'cc/te ; Pt. and old edd. i/izVi, thilke (wrongly). Besides which,
Tyrwhitt cites bicJief, MS. Harl. 7335 ; becched, Camb. Univ. Lib. Dd.
4. 24; and, from other MSS., bicched, bicchid, bitched, bicche. The
general consensus of the MSS. and the quotation from the Towneley
Mysteries establish the reading given in the text beyond all doubt.
Yet Tyrwhitt reads bicchel, for which he adduces no authority beyond
the following. ' Bickel, as explained by Kilian, is talus, ovillus et luso-
rius ; and bickelen, talis ludere. See also Had. Junii Nomencl. n. 213.
Our dice indeed are the ancient tesserae (kv^oi) not tali (aa-rpdyaXoi) ;
but, both being games of hazard, the implements of one might be easily
attributed to the other. It should seem from Junius, loc. cit., that the
Germans had preserved the custom of playing with the natural bones,
286 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group c.
as they have different names for a game with tali ovillt, and another
with tali bttbiili^
I find in the Tauchnitz Dutch Dictionary — 'Bi/ckel, cockal. Bikkelen,
to play at cockals.' Here cockal is the old name for a game with four
hucklebones (Haliiwell), and is further made to mean the hucklebone
itself. But there is nothing to connect bicched with Du. bickel, and
the sense is very different. From the article on Bicched in the New
Eng. Diet., it appears that the sense is 'cursed, e.xecrable,' and is an
epithet applied to other things besides dice. It is evidently an oppro-
brious word, and seems to be derived from the sb. bitch, opprobriously
used. There is even a quotation in which the verb bitch means to
bungle or spoil a business. We may explain it by ' cursed bones.'
662. pryjiie, about nine o'clock ; see notes to A. 3906, B. 201 5. Here
it means the canonical hour for prayer so called, to announce which
bells were rung.
G64. A hand-bell was carried before a corpse at a funeral by the
sexton. See Rock, Church of Our Fathers, ii. 471 ; Grindal's Works,
p. 136; Myrc's Instructions for Parish Priests, 1. 1964.
666. That ooti of thevi, the one of them; the old phrase for 'one of
them.' kfiave, boy.
667. Go bet, lit. go better, i. e. go quicker ; a term of encouragement
to dogs in the chase. So in the Legend of Good Women, 12 13 (Dido,
1. 290J, we have —
' The herd of hertes founden is anoon,
With " hey ! go bet ! prik thou ! lat goon, lat goon ! " '
In Skelton's Elynour Rummyng, 1. 332, we have — 'And bad Ely-
nour go bet.' Haliiwell says^' Go bet, an old hunting cry, often
introduced in a more general sense. See Songs and Carols, xv ; Shak.
Soc. Pap. i. 58; Chaucer, C. T. 12601 [the present passage]; Dido,
28S [290] ; Tyrwhitt's notes, p. 278 ; Ritson's Anc. Pop. Poetiy, p. 46.
The phrase is mentioned by [Juliana] Bemers in the Boke of St. Alban's,
and seems nearly equivalent to^^ alottg.' It is strange that no editor
has perceived the exact sense of this very simple phrase. Cf. ' Keep
bet our good,' i. e. take better care of my property ; Shipmannes Tale,
B. 1622.
679. this pestilence, during this plague. Alluding to the Great
Plagues that took place in the reign of Edward III, There were four
such, viz. in 1348-9, 1361-2, 1369, and 1375-6. As Chaucer probably
had the story from an Italian source, the allusion must be to the first
and worst of these, the effects of which spread nearly all over Europe,
and which was severely felt at Florence, as we learn from the descrip-
tion left by Boccaccio. See my note to Piers Plowman, B. v. 13.
684. 7/iy dame, my mother ; as in H. 317 ; Piers Plowman, B. v. 2,7.
695. avow, vow ; to ^nake avow is the old phrase for to vow.
Tyrwhitt alters it to a voio, quite unnecessarily ; and the same alteration
has been made by editors in other books, owing to want of familiarity
LI. 662-727] THE PARDONERES TALE. 287
with old MSS, It is true that the form voia does occur, as, e.g. in
P. Plowm. B. prol. 71 ; but it is no less certain that avow occurs also,
and was the older form ; since we have oon auow (B. 334), and the
phrase ' I make myn avou,' P. Plowman, A. v. 218 ; where no editorial
sophistication can evade giving the right spelling. Equally clear is
the spelling in the Prompt. Parv. — ^ A7/owe,\oin\\\. Awouyti, or to
make awowe, Vovec' And Mr. Way says — ^ Aiwwe, veu ; Palsgrave.
This word occurs in R. de Brunne, Wiclif, and Chaucer. The phrase
" performed his auowe " occurs in the Legenda Aurea, fol. 47.' Those
who are familiar with MSS. know that a prefixed a is often written
apart from the word ; thus the word now spelt accord is often written
'a corde '; and so on. Hence, even when the word is really one word,
it is still often written 'a uow,' and is naturally printed a 7jow in two
words, where no such result was intended. Tyrwhitt himself prints
min avow in the Knightes Tale, A. 2237, and again this avow in the
same, A. 2414 ; where no error is possible. See more on this word in
my note to 1. i of Chevy Chase, in Spec, of Eng. 1394-1579. I have
there said that the form vow does not occur in early writers ; I should
rather have said, it is by no means the usual form.
698. brother, i. e. sworn friend; see Kn. Tale, A. I131, II47. In
1. 704, yboren brother means brother by birth.
709. to-rente, tare in pieces, dismembered. See note to 1. 474 above.
713. This'oldman'answerstothe r^w///<7or hermit of the Italian text.
Note an old (indefinite), as compared with this aide (definite) in 1. 714.
715. Tyrwhitt, in his Glossary, remarks — ' God you see! 7751 [D.
2169] ; God him see ! 4576 [B. 156]. May God keep you, or him, in his
sight ! In Troilus, ii. 85, it is fuller ' : — God you save and see f Gower
has — 'And than I bidde, God hir see P Conf. Amant. bk. iv. (ed. Chal-
mers, p. 1 16, col. 2, or ed. Pauli, ii. 96). In Grimm's Teutonic Mythology,
ed. Stallybrass, i. 21, we find a similar phrase in O. H. German : —
*daz si got iemer schouwe'; I wain, I. 794. Cf. 'now loke the owre
lorde ! ' P. Plowman, B. i. 207. See also 1. 766 below.
727. This is a great improvement upon the Italian Tale, which repre-
sents the hermit ■s.^Jlceino from death. ' Fratelli miei, io fuggo la morte,
che mi vien dietro cacciando mi.'
Professor Kittredge, of Harvard University, informs me that 11. 727-
'J2,'!) are imitated from the first Elegy of Maximian, of which 11. 1-4,
223-8 are as follows : —
'Almula cur cessas finem properare senectus?
Cur et in hoc fesso corpore tarda sedes ?
Solue, precor, miseram tali de carcere uitam ;
Mors est iam requies, uiuere poena mihi . . .
Hinc est quod baculo incumbens ruitura senectus
Assiduo pigram uerbere pulsat humum.
' This seems to be a mistake ; the MSS. and old editions have simply ' god
you see.'
288 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group c.
Et numerosa mouens certo uestigia passu
Talia rugato creditur ore loqui :
"Suscipe me, genetrix, nati miserere laborum,
Membra uelis gremio fessa fouere tuo.'"
Cf. Calderon, Les Tres Justicias en Una; Act ii. sc. i.
731, leve inoder, dear mother Earth ; see * genetrix ' above.
734. cheste. Mr. Jephson (in Bell's edition) is puzzled here. He
takes cheste \o mean a coffin, which is certainly the sense in the Clerk's
Prologue, E. 29. The simple solution is that cheste refers here, not to
a coffin, but to the box for holding clothes which, in olden times, almost
invariably stood in every bedroom, at the foot of the bed. ' At the
foot of the bed there was usually an iron-bound hutch or locker, which
served both as a seat, and as a repository for the apparel and wealth of
the owner, who, sleeping with his sword by his side, was prepared
to protect it against the midnight thief; Our English Home, p. loi.
It was also called a coffer, a hutch, or an ark. The old man is
ready, in fact, to exchange his chest, containing all his worldly
gear, for a single hair-cloth, to be used as his shroud.
743. In the margin of MSS. E. Hn. and Pt. is the quotation
* Coram canuto capite consurge,' from Levit. xix. 32. Hence we
must understand Agay/is, in 1. 743, to mean be/ore, or in presence of.
Cf. B. 3702.
748. God be with you is said, with probability, to have been the
original of our modern unmeaning Good bye ' go or ryde, a general
phrase for locomotion ; go here means walk. Cp. * ryde or go,' Kn.
Tale, A. 135 1. Cf. note to 1. 866.
771. The readings are : — E. Hn. Cm. an .viij. ; Ln. a .vij. ; Cp. Pt.
HI. a seuen. The word eighte is dissyllabic ; cf. A. S. eahta, Lat. octo.
Wei Jty an eighte busshels=\ery nearly the quantity of eight bushels.
The mention oi florins is quite in keeping with the Italian character of
the poem. Those coins were so named because originally coined at
Florence, the first coinage being in 1252 ; note in Cary's Dante, In-
ferno, c. XXX. The expression ' floreyn of florence ' occurs in The Book
of Quintessence, ed. Furnivall, p. 6. The value of an English florin
was 6^. Zd.'^ see note to Piers Plowman, B. ii. 143. There is an
excellent note on florifis in Thynne's Animadversions on Speght's
Chaucer, ed. Furnivall, p. 45.
781. In allusion to the old proverb — * Lightly come, lightly go.'
Cotgrave, s. v. Fleute, gives the corresponding French proverb thus : —
' Ce qui est venu par la fleute s'en retoume avec le tabourin ; that the
pipe hath gathered, the tabour scattereth ; goods ill gotten are commonly
ill spent.' In German — 'wie gewonnen, so zerronnen.'
782. wende, would have weened, would have supposed. It is the
past tense subjunctive.
790. doo7i ns honge, lit. cause (men) to hang us ; we should now
say, cause us to be hanged. 'The Anglo-Saxons nominally punished
theft with death, if above I2d. value ; but the criminal could redeem
LI. 731-889.] THE PARDONERES TALE. 289
his life by a ransom. In the 9th of Henry I. this power of redemption
was taken away, 1108. The punishment of theft was very severe in
England, till mitigated by Peel's Acts, 9 and 10 Geo. IV. 1829.' —
Haydn, s. v. Theft.
793. To d7'aw cuts is to draw lots ; see Prologue, 835, 838, 845.
A number of straws were held by one of the company ; the rest drew
one apiece, and whoever drew the longest (or the shortest) was the one
on whom the lot fell. The fatal straw was the cut\ cf. Welsh civtivs^
a lot. In France, the lot fell on him who drew the longest straw ;
so that their phrase was — 'tirer la longue paille.'
797. So in the Italian story — ' rechi del pane e del vino,' let him
fetch bread and wine.
806-894. Here Chaucer follows the general sense of the Italian story
rather closely, but with certain amplifications.
807. That oon, the one ; that other, the other (vulgarly, the tother).
819. conseil, a secret ; as in P. Plowman, B. v. 168. We still say —
*to keep one's own counsel.'
838. rolleth, revolves ; cf. D. 2217, Troil. v. 13 1 3.
844. So the Italian story — 'II Demonio . . . mise in cuore a costui,'
&c. ; the devil put it in his heart ; see vol. iii. p. 441.
848. ieve, leave. ' That he had leave to bring him to sorrow.'
851-878. Of this graphic description there is no trace in the Italian
story as we now have it. Cf. Rom. and Juliet, v. i.
860. also, as. The sense is — as (I hope) God may save my soul.
That our modern as is for als, which is short for a/so, from the A. S.
eall-sii'd, is now well known. This fact was doubted by Mr. Singer,
but Sir F. Madden, in his Reply to Mr. Singer's remarks upon
Havelok the Dane, accumulated such a mass of evidence upon the
subject as to set the question at rest for ever. It follows that as and
also are doublets, or various spellings of the same word.
865. sterve,6\&\ A.S. stcor/an. The cognate German j-/^r<J^;^ retains
the old general sense. See 1. 888 below.
8G6. gooji a paas, walk at an ordinary foot-pace ; so also, a Ittel more
tha?tpaas, a little faster than at a foot-pace, Prol. 825. Cotgrave has —
' Aller le pas, to pace, or go at a foot-pace ; to walk fair and softly, or
faire and leisurely.' fiat but, no more than only ; cf. North of Eng-
land Jiobbut. The time meant would be about twenty minutes at most.
888. In the Italian story—' amendue caddero morti,' both of them fell
dead ; see vol. iii. p. 442.
889. Avicett, Avicenna ; mentioned in the Prologue, 1. 432. Avi-
cenna, or Ibn-Sina, a celebrated Arabian philosopher and physician,
born near Bokhara A. D. 980, died A. D. 1037. His chief work was
a treatise on medicine known as the Canon (' Kitab al-Kanun fi'1-Tibb,'
that is, ' Book of the Canon in Medicine '). This book, alluded to in
the next line, is divided into books and sections ; and the Arabic
word for ' section ' is in the Latin version denoted by fen, from the
Arabic _/({««, a part of any science. Chaucer's expression is not quite
* JJ^ TT
290 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES.
correct ; he seems to have taken canon in its usual sense of rule,
whereas it is really the title of the whole work. It is much as if one
were to speak of Dante's work in the terms — 'such as Dante never
wrote in any Divina Commedia nor in any canto.' Lib. iv. Fen i of
Avicenna's Canon treats ' De Venenis.'
895. Against this line is written, in MS. E. only, the word 'Auctor ';
to shew that the paragraph contained in 11. 895-903 is a reflection by
the author.
897. The final e in gluionye is preserved by the caesural pause ; but
the scansion of the line is more easily seen by supposing it suppressed.
Hence in order to scan the line, suppress the final e mghdonye, lay the
accent on the second u in Inxurie, and slur over the final -ie in that
word. Thus —
O glut I on^' 1 luxu I rie and hds | ardr^-e ||
904. good' men is the common phrase of address to hearers in old
homilies, answering to the modern ' dear brethren.' The Pardoner,
having told his tale (after which Chaucer himself has thrown in a moral
reflection), proceeds to improve his opportunity by addressing the
audience in his usual professional style ; see 1. 915.
907. 7ioble, a coin worth 6s. 8d., first coined by Edward II L about
1339. See note to P. Plowman, B. iii. 45.
908. So in P. Plowman, B. prol. 75, it is said of the Pardoner that he
'raughte with his ragman [bull] rynges and broches.'
910. Cometh is to be pronounced Cometh, as in Pro!. 839 ; so also in
1. 925 below.
920. fnale, bag ; see Prol. 694. Cf. E. mail-bag.
935. The first two syllables in perav^ntiire are to be very rapidly
pronounced ; it is not uncommon to find the spelling peratmter, as in
P. Plowman, B. xi. 10.
937. which a, what sort of a, how great a, what a.
945. Ye, for a grote, yea, even for a groat, i.e. 4^.
946. have I, may I have ; an imprecation.
947. so iheech, a colloquialism for so thee ich, as I may thrive, as I
hope to thrive. The Host proceeds to abuse the Pardoner.
95L This is a reference to the ' Invention of the Cross,' or finding of
the true cross by St. Helen, the mother of Constantine ; commemorated
on May 3. See Chambers, Book of Days, i. 586 ; Alban Butler, Lives
of the Saints.
962. right ynotigh, quite enough ; right is an adverb. Cf. 1. 960.
NOTES TO GROUP D.
The Wife of Bath's Prologue.
^ There is nothing whatever to connect this Prologue with any
preceding Tale. In MS. E. and most others, it follows the Man of Law's
Tale, which cannot be right, as that Tale must be followed by the
Shipman's Prologue. Curiously enough, that Prologue does follow the
Man of Law's Tale in the Harleian MS., but the Wife of Bath's Tale
is made to follow next, in place of the Shipman's Tale.
In MS. Pt., and several others, the Wife's Prologue follows the
Merchant's Tale; such is the arrangement in edd, 1532 and 1561.
This is possible, as the Merchant's Tale ends a Fragment, and the
Wife's Prologue begins one ; but it is easier to fit the lines at the end
of the Merchant's Tale to the Squire's Prologue. In the Royal MS.
18. C. 2, and in MSS. Laud 739 and Barlow 20, there is an attempt to
introduce the Wife's Prologue by some spurious lines which are printed
in vol. iii. p. 446. I just note that we have a genuine Epilogue to the
Merchant's Tale (see E. 2419-2440) ; which is quite enough to put
the above lines out of court.
MS. Ln. has a different arrangement. It gives eight spurious lines at
the end of the Squire's Tale, and then four more spurious lines to
link them with the Wife's Prologue ; see vol. iii. p. 446.
In the Ellesmere MS. there are numerous quotations in the margin,
as will be noted in due course. In the Essays on Chaucer, pp. 293,
the Rev. W. W. Woollcombe has shewn that the passages which seem
to be taken from John of Salisbury are really taken from Jerome, whom
John copied, verbally, at some length. I may add, that I came
independently to the same conclusion ; indeed, it becomes obvious, on
investigation, that such was the case. Chaucer's chief sources for
this Prologue are : Jerome's Epistle against Jovinian, and Le Roman
de la Rose. I quote the former (frequently) from Hieronymi Opus
Epistolarum, edited by Erasmus, printed at Basle in 1524.
1. aiicioriiee, authoritative text, quotable statement of a good author.
'Though there were no written statement on the subject, my own
experience would enable me to speak of the evils of marriage.' Cf. the
U 2
292 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group D.
character of the Wife in the Prologue, A. 445-476. Lines 1-3 are
imitated from Le Rom. de la Rose, 13006-10.
6. So in A. 460, with she haddc for / have had; see note to that
line.
7. The alternative reading (in the footnote) does not agree with 1.6.
MS. E. is quite right here. Probably MS. Cm. would have given us
the same reading, but it is here mutilated.
11. In E., a sidenote has : — ' In Cana Galilee'; from John, ii. i.
12-13. In E., a sidenote has: — 'Qui enim semel iuit ad nuptias,
docuit semel esse nubendum.' This is from Hieronymi lib. i. c.
Jovinianum ; Epist. (ut supra), t. ii. p. 29. But the edition has itenti for
im't, and semel doctdt.
14-22. This also is from Jerome, as above (p. 28) : — * Siquidem et
ilia in Euangelio lohannis Samaritana, sextum se maritum habere
dicens, arguitur a domino, quod non sit uir eius. Vbi enim numerus
maritorum est, ibi uir, qui proprie unus est, esse desiit.' Cf. John,
iv. 18.
23-25. In the margin of E. we find : — ' Non est uxorum numerus
dififinitus.' About 15 lines after the last quotation, we find in Jerome:
— 'non esse uxorum numerum definitum.' This is immediately
preceded (in Jerome) by a quotation from St. Paul (l Cor. vii. 29),
which is also quoted in the margin of E.
28. In the margin of E. — ' Crescite et multiplicamini ' ; Gen. i. 28.
The text was suggested by the fact that Jerome quotes it near the be-
ginning of his letter (p. 18). Soon after (p. 19), he quotes Matt. xix. 5,
which Chaucer quotes accordingly in 1. 31.
33. bigainye. ' Bigamy, according to the canonists, consisted not
only in marrying two wives at a time, but in marrying two spinsters
successively.' — Bell.
octogamye, marriage of eight husbands. This queer word is due
to Jerome, and affords clear proof of Chaucer's indebtedness. 'Non
damno digamos, imo nee trigamos ; et (si dici potest) octogavios ' ;
p. 29. Cf. ' A dodecagamic Potter,' in a note to ' And a polygamic
Potter,' in Shelley's Prologue to Peter Bell the Third.
35. here, hear ; a gloss in E. has ' audi.' See I Kings, xi. 3.
44. Tyrwhitt says that, after this v-erse, some MSS. (as Camb. Dd.
4. 24, Ii. 3. 26, and Egerton 2726) have the six lines following : —
' Of whiche I have pyked out the beste
Both of here nether purs and of here cheste.
Diverse scoles maken parfyt clerkes.
And diverse practyk in many sondry werkes
Maken the werkman parfyt sekirly ;
Of five husbondes scoleryng am L'
He adds—' if these lines are not Chaucer's, they are certainly more
in his manner than the generality of the imitations of him. Perhaps
he wrote them, and afterwards blotted them out. They come in but
LI. 6-75-1 THE WIFE OF BATH'S PROLOGUE. 293
awkwardly here, and he has used the principal idea in another
place : —
For sondry scoles maken sotil clerkes ;
Womman of many scoles half a clerk is'; E. 1427.
I beg leave to endorse Tyrwhitt's opinion; the six lines are certainly
genuine, and I therefore repeat them, in a better spelling and form.
Of whiche I have y-piked out the beste,
Bothe of hir nether purs and of hir cheste.
Diverse scoles maken parfit clerkes ;
Divers praktyk in many sondry werkes
Maketh the werkman parfit sekirly ;
Of fyve housbondes scolering am I.
I know of no other example oi scoler-ing, i.e. young scholar.
46. In the margin of E. is here written — ' Si autem non continent,
nubant'; from i Cor. vii. 9.
47. In the margin of E. is a quotation from Jerome, p. 28 ; but it
is really from the Vulgate, i Cor. vii. 39 ; viz. — ' Quod si dormierit uir
eius, libera est ; cui uult, nubat, tantum in Domino.' Cf. Rom. vii. 3.
51-52. Alluding to i Cor. vii. 28, and I Cor. vii. 9, here quoted in
the margin of E.
54. * Primus Lamech sanguinarius et homicida, unam carnem in duas
diuisit uxores ' ; Jerome (as above), p. 29, 1. i ; partly quoted here in
the margin of E. Cf. Gen. iv. 19-23. 'There runs through the whole
cf this doctrine about bigamy a confusion between marrj'ing twice
and having two wives at once.' — Bell. See the allusions to Lamech in
F. 550, and Anelida, 150.
55-56. In the margin of E. is : — 'Abraham trigamus : lacob quad-
rigamus.' Discussed by Jerome, p. 19, near the bottom.
61. * Ecce, inquit [louinianus], Apostolus profitetur de uirginibus
Domini se non habere praeceptum ; et qui cum autoritate de maritis
et uxoribus iusserat, non audet imperare quod Dominus non
praecepit. . . . Frustra enim iubetur, quod in arbitrio eius ponitur cui
iussum est '; &c. — Jerome (as above), p. 25.
65. See l Cor. vii. 25, here quoted in the margin of E.
69. ' Si uirginitatem Dominus imperasset, uidebatur nuptias con-
demnare, et hominum auferre seminarium, unde et ipsa uirginitas
nascitur'; Jerome, p. 25.
75. Tyrwhitt aptly quotes from Lydgate's Falls of Princes, fol.
xxvi : —
'And oft it happeneth, he that hath best ron
Doth not the spere like his desert possede.'
We must conclude that a dart or spear was the prize given (in some
games) to the best runner. That dart here means ' prize,' appears
from another proof altogether. For in the margin of E. we here find
a quotation from Jerome, p. 26, which runs in a fuller form, thus : —
'Proponit dywi/o^eV/jr praemiufn, inuitat ad cursum, tenet in manu
294 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group d.
uirginitatis brauium, . . . et clamitat, ... qui potest capere, capiat.*
The word brauium, i. e. prize in a race, is borrowed from the Vulgate,
1 Cor. ix. 24, where the Greek has /Spn/Selov. ' Catch who so may,' in
1. 76, represents ' qui potest capere, capiat.' Hence cacche here means
* win.'
81. Alluding to i Cor. vii. 7, here quoted in E.
84. * Haec autem dico secundum indulgentiam'; i Cor. vii. 6.
87. Alluding to I Cor. vii. i, here quoted in E.
89. iassemble, for to assemble, to bring together.
Cf. 'qui ignem tetigerit, statim aduritur,' &c.^erome, p. 21.
91. Cf. * Simulque considera, quod aliud donum uirginitatis sit, aliud
nuptiarum ' ; Jerome (as above), ii. 22.
96. pre/er7-e is evidently a neuter verb here, meaning ' be prefer-
able to.'
101. tree, wood ; alluding to 2 Tim. ii. 20.
103. a propre yifte, a gift peculiar to him ; see I Cor. vii. 7, here
quoted in E.
105. See Rev. xiv. 1-4, a line or two from which is here quoted in E.
W^. fore, track, course, footsteps; glossed 'steppes' in MS. E.
Some MSS. have the inferior lore, shewing that the scribes understood
the word no better than the writer of the note in Bell's Chaucer, who
says — * Harl, MS. reads fore, which is probably a mere clerical error.'
Wright, however, correctly retains fore. It occurs again in D. 1935,
q. v., where Tyrwhitt again alters it to lore. I?radley gives ten
examples of it, to which I can add another, viz. * he folowede the fore
of an oxe,' Trevisa, ii. 343 (repeated from the example in i. 197, which
Bradley cites). A. S.for, a course, way ; from faran (pt. t.for), to go.
Cf. Matt. xix. 21, which is quoted in Cp. and Pt.
115, 'Et cur, inquies, creata sunt genitalia, et sic a conditore
sapientissimo fabricati sumus, &c. . . ipsa organa . . sexus differentiam
praedicant ' ; Jerome (as above), p. 42.
117. I give the reading of E., which seems much the best. For
wight, Cm. has ivyf Hn. has : And of so pa^Ht wys a wight
y-wroght; which is also good. But Cp. Pt. Ln. have: And of so
parfyt wise and why y-wrought. HI. has : And in what wise was a wight
y-wrought. The last reading is the worst.
128. /her, where, wherein. With 1. 130, cf. I Cor. \n. 3, where the
Vulgate has ' Uxori uir debitum reddat.'
135. ' Nunquam ergo cessemus a libidine, ne frustra huiuscemodi
membra portemus'; Jerome, p. 42.
144. hoten, be called ; A. S. hatan. The sense is — ' Let virgins be
as bread made of selected wheaten flour ; and let us wives be called
barley-bread ; nevertheless Jesus refreshed many a man with barley-
bread, as St. Mark tells us.' Chaucer makes a slight mistake ; it is
St. John who speaks of i^rtr/ijj'-loaves ; see John vi. 9 (cf Mark vi. 38).
For hoten, Tyrwhitt, Wright, Bell, and Morris, all give the mistaken
reading cten, which misses the whole point of the argument; but
L1.8I-I80.] THE WIFE OF BATH'S PROLOGUE. 295
Oilman has Jtoien. There is no question as to what the Wife should
eat, but only as to her condition in life. It is the Wife herself who is
compared to something edible.
The comparison is from Jerome (as above), p. 21 : — 'Velut si quis
definiat : Bonum est triticeo pane uesci, et edere punssimatn stmilatn.
Tamen ne quis compulsus fame stercus bubulum : concede ei, ut ues-
catur et hordeo'
147. Alluding to i Cor. vii. 20, here quoted in E.
151. datitigerous, difficult of access; cf. 1. 514.
155, In the margin of E. — ' Qui uxorem habet, et debitor dicitur, et
esse in praeputio, et senilis uxoris,' &c. From Jerome (as above),
p. 26.
156. Alluding to i Cor. vii. 28, here quoted in E.
158. Alluding to i Cor. vii. 4, here quoted in E.
161. Alluding to Eph. v. 25, here quoted in E.
167-168. What, why. to-yere, this year; cf. to-day. ' To-yere,
homo, hornus, hornotintis'; Catholicon Anglicum. The phrase is
still in use in some of our dialects.
170. another tonne. This expression is probably due to Le Roman
de la Rose, 6839 :—
' Jupiter en toute saison
A sor le suel de sa maison,
Ce dit Omers, deus plains tonneaus,' &c.
This again is from Homer's two urns, sources of good and evil (Iliad,
xxiv. 527), as qi!oted by Boethius, bk. ii. pr. 2. See note in vol. ii.
p. 428 (1. 53). It is suggested that the Pardoner has been used to
a tun of ale, and now he must expect to have a taste of something
less pleasant. Cf. 1. 177.
One of Gower's French Balades contains the lines : —
'Deux tonealx ad [Cupide] dont il les gentz fait boire ;
L'un est assetz plus douls que n'est pyment,
L'autre est amier plus que null arrement.'
180. The saying referred to is written in the margin of Dd., as
Tyrwhitt tells us. It runs : — ' Qui per alios non corrigitur, alii per ipsum
corrigentur.' With regard to its being written in Ptolemy's Almagest,
Tyrwhitt quaintly remarks : — ' I suspect that the Wife of Bath's copy of
Ptolemy was very different from any that I have been able to meet with.'
The same remark applies to her second quotation in 1. 326 below.
I have no doubt that the Wife is simply copying, for convenience,
these words in Le Roman de la Rose, 7070 : —
' Car nous lisons de Tholomee
Une parole moult honeste
Au comencier de sAlmageste,' iS:c.
Jean de Meun then cites a passage of quite another kind, but the
Wife of Bath did not stick at such a trifle. The Almagest is mentioned
again in the same, 1. 18772.
296 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group d.
As to the above saying, cf. Barbour's Bruce, i. 121, 2 ; and my
notes to the line at pp. 545 and 612 of the same. ' Felix quem faciunt
aliena pericula cautum'; cf. Rom. de la Rose, 8041; Robert of
Brunne, Handlyng Synne, 8086.
183. Ahnageste. The celebrated astronomer, Claudius Ptolemaeus,
who flourished in the second century, wrote, as his chief work, the
fieyaXr} crvvTa^is tt]s daTpovoiitas. This work was also called, for brevity,
fi€yd\r), and afterwards ncylaTr] (greatest) ; out of which, by prefixing
the Arab, article al, the Arabs made Al-mejisti, or Al-fnagest.
197. Here wer-e is made dissyllabic. For The three, HI. has Ttio ;
which is clearly wrong.
199. In the margin of E. is written part of the last sentence in
Part I. of Jerome's treatise : — 'hierophantas quoque Atheniensium usque
hodie cicutae sorbitione castrari ; et postquam in pontificatum fuerint
electi, uiros esse desinere.' Probably quoted to emphasize the sense
of iih'os.
207-210. Imitated from Le Rom. de la Rose, 13478-82.
218. Duninowe, in Essex, N. W. of Chelmsford. Tyrwhitt refers us
to Blount's Ancient Tenures, p. 162, and adds :— 'This whimsical in-
stitution was not peculiar to Dunmow ; there was the same in Bretagne.
"A I'Abbaie Sainct I\Ielaine, prfes Rennes, y a, plus de six cens ans
sont, un cost^ de lard encore tous frais et non corrumpu ; et neant-
moins voud et ordonne aux premiers, qui par an et jour ensemble
mariez ont vescut san debat, grondement, et sans s'en repentir." —
Contcs d Entrap, t. ii. p. 161.' See P. Plowman, C. xi. 276, and my
long note on the subject.
220. fawe, fain ; a variant form of fain, A. S. fcegen, fcegn. See
Havelok, 2160; Alisaunder, ed. Weber, 1956 ; &c.
221. Here occurs the first reference to "Ca.^ Aur coins Liber de Nuptiis,
written by a certain Theophrastus, who is mentioned below (1. 671),
and in E. 13 10. Jerome gives a long extract from this work in his book
against Jovinian (so frequently cited above), and has thus preserved
a portion of it ; and John of Salisbury transferred the whole extract
bodily to his Policraticus. It it clear that Chaucer used the work of
Jerome rather than that of John of Salisbury. The extract from Theo-
phrastus occurs not far from the end of the first book of the epistle
against Jovinian ; and near the beginning of it occur the words — 'de
foro ueniens quid attulisti?' — Jerome (as above), p. 51. This probably
suggested the present line, as it is a question put by a wife to her
husband.
226. atid here heju, i. e. and wrongly accuse them, or make them be-
lieve.
227. Tyrwhitt quotes two corresponding lines from Le Roman de la
' Car plus hardiment que nulz homs
Certainement jurent et mentent.'
He refers to 1. 19013 ; but in Mdon's edition, these are 11. 18336-7.
LI. 183-232.] THE WIFE OF BATH'S PROLOGUE. 297
229. Cf. Le Rom. de la Rose, 9949: — ' Ce ne di-ge pas por les
bonnes.'
231. wys, cunning. In MSS. E. and Hn. the caesura! pause is
marked after wyf. The Hne, as it stands, is imperfect, and only to be
scanned by making the pause after wyfoczw^y the space of a syllable.
The reading "wys-e gets over the difficulty, but is hardly what we should
expect ; it is remarkable that E. Hn. and Cm. all read wys, without
a final e ; cf. ivys'm. A. 68, 785, 851. The onlyjustificationof theform
ivys-e would be to consider it as feminine ; and such seems to be
the case in Gower, Conf. Am., ed. Pauli, i. 156 : — * His doughter wis-e
Petronel-le.' if that she can Mr good, if she knows what is to her
advantage.
232. 'Will make him believe that the chough is mad.' In the New
E. Diet., s. V. Chough, Dr. Murray shews that the various readings
cou, cowe, kowe, &c. tend to prove that cow in this passage may well
mean * chough ' or 'jackdaw ' rather than ' cow.' This solves the diffi-
culty ; for the allusion is clearly to one of the commonest of medieval
stories, told of various talking birds, originally of a parrot.
Very briefly, the story runs thus. A jealous husband, leaving his
wife, sets his parrot to watch her. On his return, the bird reports her
misconduct. But the wife avxrs that the parrot lies, and tries to prove
it by an ingenious stratagem. The husband believes his frail wife's plot,
and promptly wrings the bird's neck for telling stories, under the impres-
sion that it has gone mad.
I formerly explained this in The Academy, April 5, 1890, p. 239. In
the no. for April 19, p. 269, Mr. Clouston referred me to his paper on
'The Tell-tale Bird' printed in the Chaucer Society's Originals and
Analogues, p. 439, with reference to the Manciple's Tale, which
relates a similar stor^'. See the account of the Manciple's Tale in
vol. iii. p. 501. It is the story of the Husband and the Parrot, in the
Arabian Nights' Entertainment.
This line of Chaucer's seems to have attracted attention, though there
is nothing to shew how it was understood. Thus, in Roy's Rede me
and be nott Wrothe, ed. Arber, p. 80, we find : —
' Because they canne flatter and lye,
Makynge bele\'e the cowe is wade'
In Awdelay's Fraternyte of Vacabondes (E. E. T. S.), p. 14, we find :
'Gyle Hather is he, that wyll stand by his Maister when he is at
dinner, and byd him beware that he eate no raw meate, because he
would eate it himself. This is a pickthanke knaue, that would make
his Maister beleue that the Cowe is woode? Palsgrave, in his French
Dictionary, p. 421, has: — ' I am borne in hande of a thyng ; On me
faict a croyre. He wolde beare me in hande the kowe is woode ; time
veult fayre a croyre de blanc que ce soit Jioyr.' The spelling coe for
'jackdaw' occurs in Skelton's Phyllyp Sparowe, I. 468. See also Hoc-
cleve's Works, ed. Fumivall, p. 217, where ' Magge, the good kowe' is
298 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group d.
an obvious error for ' Magge the wode kovve,' since 'Magge' is a
name for a ;«<r^-pie. This I also explained in The Academy, April i,
1893, p. 285.
233. ' And she will take witness, of her own maid, of her (the maid's)
assent (to her truth).' This is part of the proof of the correctness of
the interpretation of the preceding line. For, in most of the versions
of the tale above referred to, the lady is aided and abetted by a maid
who is in her confidence.
235. Here Chaucer takes several hints from the book of Theophrastus
as quoted by Jerome ; see note to 1. 221. Thus (in Jerome, as above,
p. 51) we find: — ' Deinde pernoctes totas garrulae conquestiones : —
Ilia omatior procedit in publicum ; haec honoratior ab omnibus :
ego in conuentu feminarum misella despicior. Cur aspiciebas uicinam ?
Quid cum ancillula loquebaris ? ' It is continued at 1. 243 ; cf. ' Non
amicum habere possumus, non sodalem.* Next, at 1. 248 ; cf. ' Pauperem
alere difficile est, diuitem ferre tormentum.' Next, at 1. 253 ; cf.
* Pulchra cito adamatur . . . Difificile custoditur quod plures amant.'
Jean de Meun also quotes from Theophrastus plentifully, mentioning
him by name in Le Rom. de la Rose, 1. 8599 ; see the whole passage.
' Caynard, obsolete, adapted from F. cagnard, sluggard (according to
Littre, from Ital. cagfta, bitch, fem. of cane, dog). A lazy fellow, a slug-
gard ; a term of reproach. (1303) Rob. of Brunne, Handlyng Synne,
1. 8300 : A kaynarde ande an olde folte [misprinted folle]. (About 1 3 10)
in Wright's Lyric Poems, xxxix. no (1842) : This croked caynard,
sore he is a-dred.' — New Eng. Diet, (where the present passage is also
quoted).
246. See A. 1261, and the note. Wright here adds two more ex-
amples. He says — *In the satirical poem of Doctor Double-ale, [in
Hazlitt's Early Pop. Poetry, iii. 308], we have the lines : —
Then seke another house.
This is not worth a louse ;
As dronken as a mouse.
Among the Letters relating to the Suppression of Monasteries (Camden
Soc), p. 133, there is one from a monk of Pershore, who says that his
brother monks of that house " drynk an bowll after collacyon tell ten
or xii. of the clock, and cum to mattens as dronck as inys.'" '
248. See note to 1. 235 above ; so again, for 1. 253, cf. Le Rom. de la
Rose, 8617-8638.
255. Cf. Ovid, Pleroid. xvi. 288 :—
' Lis est cum forma magna pudicitiae.'
257. Probably Chaucer was thinking of a passage in Theophrastus,
following soon after that quoted in the note to 1. 235. 'Alius forma,
alius ingenio, alius facetiis, alius liberalitate sollicitat.' But Theo-
phrastus is referring to the accomplishments of the wooers rather
than of the women wooed. Cf. Le Rom. de la Rose, 11. 8629-36 —
* S'ele est bele,' &c.
LI. 333-306.] THE WIFE OF BATH'S PROLOGUE. 299
263. Clearly from Le Rom. de la Rose, 1. 8637 —
' Car tor de toutes pars assise
Envis eschape d'estre prise.'
265. Immediately after, we have —
'S'ele rest lede, el vuet k tous plaire ;
. . . vuet tous ceus qui la voient.'
269. See in Hazlitt's Proverbs : 'Joan's as good as my lady in the dark.'
271. * It is a hard matter to control a thing that no one would
willingly keep.' Simply translated from Theophrastus (see note to
1. 235), who has — ' Molestum est possidere, quod nemo habere dignetur.'
272. helde, a variant form of holde, hold, keep ; froni A. S. healdan.
As Chaucer usually has holde (see D. 1 144), helde is probably used for
the sake of the rime. Note that it is the only example of a rime in -elde
in the whole of the Canterbury Tales ; indeed, the only other example
is in Troil. ii. 2>yi~^- ^^ ^"^1 the same rime in King Horn, 1. 911 : —
*Mi rengne thu schalt welde,
And to spuse helde
Reynild mi doghter.'
275. Again from Theophrastus (near the beginning) : — ' Non est
ergo uxor ducenda sapienti. Primum enim impediri studia philo-
sophiae,' >S:c.
277. ivelked, withered ; see C. 738, and Stratmann.
278. Chaucer quotes this, as from Solomon, in the Pers. Tale, I. 631,
and explains it there more fully ; and again, in the Tale of IVIelibeus,
B. 2276. An Anglo-French poet named Hemian wrote a poem ' on the
three words, smoke, rain, and woman, which, according to Solomon,
drive a man from his house ; and it appears from the poem that it
was composed at the suggestion of Alexander, bishop of Lincoln, who
died in 1 147.' — T. Wright, Biographia Brit. Literaria, Anglo-Norman
Period, p. 333. See also my note to P. Plowman, C. xx. 297, quoted
in the note to B. 2276 above, at p. 207.
282. This again is from Theophrastus (see note to 1. 235) : — ' Si
iracunda, si fatua, si deformis, si superba, si foetida ; quodcunque
uitii est, post nuptias discimus.'
285. Immediately after the last quotation there follows: — 'Equus,
asinus, bos, canis, et uilissima mancipia, uestes quoque et lebetes,
sedile lignum, calix et urceolus fictilis probantur prius, et sic emuntur :
sola uxor non ostenditur, ne ante displiceat, qukm ducatur.'
293. Next follows: — 'Attendenda semper eius est facies, et pul-
chritudo laudanda . . . Vocanda " domina," celebrandus natalis eius,
. . . honoranda nutrix eius, et gerula, seruus, patrimus, et alumnus,'
&c. Cf. Le Rom. de la Rose, 139 14.
303-306. Next follows : — * et formosus assecla, et procurator cala-
mistratus, et in longam securamque libidinem exectus spado : sub
quibus nominibus adulteri delitescunt.'
Chaucer has merely taken the general idea, and given it a form
peculiarly adapted to his sketch. That he really ivas thinking of this
300 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [ Group d.
passage is clear from the fact that, in the margin of E., appears this
note — ' Et procurator calamistratus.'
311. of our dame, of the mistress, i.e. of myself.
312. Seint lame, St. James ; see A. 466, and the note.
320. Alis^ Alice ; A. F. Alice, Alys, Aleyse ; Lat. Alicia. Skelton
rimes Ales with tales ; Elinour Rummyng, 351-2.
322. at our large, free, at large ; we now drop our. Cf. A. 1283.
325. See notes to 11. 180, 183. We need not search in Ptolemy for
this saying.
327. ivho hath the world in honde, i. e. who has abundant wealth.
Cf. 1. 330. The sense of the proverb is, that the wisest man is he who
is contented, who cares nothing that others are much richer than him-
self. Cf. I Tim. vi. 6, 8 ; and the proverb — ' Content is all.' In the
margin of E. is written the Latin form of the saying: — ' Inter omnes
altior existit, qui non curat in cuius manu sit mundus.'
333. wertie, forl^id, refuse. The idea is from Le Roman de la
Rose, 1. 7447 : —
* Moult est fox qui tel chose esperne,
C'est la chandele en la lanterne ;
Qui mil en i alumeroit,
Ja mains de feu n'i troveroit.
Chascun set la similitude,' <kz.
It was quite a proverbial phrase, as the last line shews. It occurs, for
example, in Alexander and Dindimus, ed. Skeat, 1. 233, and in the
original Latin text of the same. Duke Francesco Maria della Rovere
used the device of *a lighted candle, by which others are lighted,
with the motto Non degener addam ' ; i. e. I will add without loss. —
Mrs. Palliser, Historic Devices, p. 263. Cicero (De Ofificiis, i. 16)
quotes three lines from Ennius containing the same idea.
342. From i Tim. ii. 9, here quoted in the margin of E.
350. his, its. The pronoun is here neuter, and is the same in all
the MSS. Tynvhitt altered it to hire (her), but needlessly. But in
I. 352, the sex of the cat is defined. As to the singed cat, * that, as
they say, does not like to roam,' see The Exempla of Jacques de Vitr)',
ed. Crane, (Folk Lore Soc), 1890, pp. 219, 241.
354. goon a-caterwawed, go a-caterwauling. I explain the sufifix
-ed as put for -eth, A. S. -ad, as in on hirnta^, a-hunting ; where -ad is
a substantival suffix. I have given several examples of this curious
substitution in the note to C. 406, q. v. Cotgrave has : ^Aller a gars,
to hunt after lads ; (a wench) to go a caterwawling.' And see Cater-
waul in the New Eng. Diet.
357. Clearly from Le Rom. de la Rose, 14583 : —
'Nus ne puet metre en fame garde,
S'ele meisme ne se garde :
Se c'iert Argus qui la gardast,
Qui de ses cent yex I'esgardast, . . .
LI. 311-392.] THE WIFE OF BATH'S PROLOGUE. 301
N'i vaudroit sa garde mhs riens :
Fox est qui se garde tel mesriens.'
As to Argus, see Ovid, Met. i. 625.
362. Here Chaucer again quotes largely from Hieronymus c.
louinianum, lib. ii. ; in Epist. (Basil. 1524), ii. 36, 37. Many of the
passages are cited from the Vulgate, but they are all found in this
treatise of Jerome's, which furnishes the real key. Jerome says : —
* Per tria mouetur terra, quartum autem non potest ferre ; si seruus
regnet, et stultus si saturetur panibus, et odiosa uxor (see 1. 366) si
habeat bonum uirum, et ancilla si eiciat dominam suam. Ecce et hie
inter malorum magnitudinem uxor ponitur'; p. '},']. Really quoted
from Prov. xxx. 21-23.
371. Again from Jerome, p. 37 : * Infernus, et amor mulieris, et
terra quae non satiatur aqua, et ignis non dicit " satis est." ' Really
from Prov. xxx. 16, where the A. V. has ' the grave ' instead of 'hell.'
Note that Jerome here has a7)ior viulieris, though the Vulgate has os
uuluae. The passage is quoted in E., with dicent for dicit.
373. wylde fyt; wild fire ; i. e. fiercely burning fire, probably with
reference to lighted naphtha or the like. Chaucer again uses the
term in the Pers. Tale, I. 445. Greek fire was of a like character. In
the Romance of Rich. Coer de Lion, 1. 2627, we find : —
* King Richard, oute of hys galye,
Caste loylde-fyr into the skye.
And fyr Gregeys into the see,
And al on fyr wer[en] the[y] . . .
The see brent all 0^ fyr Gregeys^
Thus the Greek fire, at any rate, w^as not quenched by the sea. See
La Chimie au moyen age, par M. Berthelot, p. 100.
376. From Jerome (p. 36): — 'Sicut in ligno uermis, ita perdit
uirum suum uxor malefica.' Quoted in the margin of E., whh. ^erdei
for perdit. Cf. ' Sicut . . uermis ligno,' Prov. xxv. 20 (Vulgate) ; not
in the A. V.
378. Jerome has (p. 39): — 'Nemo enim melius scire potest quid
sit uxor uel mulier, illo qui passus est.' (Quoted in E.)
386. byte and whyne, i.e. both bite (when in a bad temper) and
whine or whinny as if wanting a caress (when in a good one). It is
made clearer by the parallel line in Anelida, 1. 157, on which see my
note in vol. i. p. 535.
389. Cf. our proverb — ' first come, first served.' Hazlitt quotes the
medieval Lat. proverb — ' Ante molam primus qui venit, non molat
imus.' And Mr. Wright quotes the French proverb of the fifteenth
century — ' Qui premier vient au moulin premier doit mouldre.' Cot-
grave, s. v. Mouldre, has the same ; with arrive {ox vient, and le premier
for premier.
392. Jiir lyve, i. e. during their (whole) life. With 11. 393-6, cf. Le
Rom. de la Rose, 14032-42.
302 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group d.
399. colour, pretext ; as in Acts, xxvii. 30.
401. In the margin of Cp. and Ln. is the medieval line : ' Fallere,
flere, nere, dedit Deus in muliere.' Pt. has the same, with statuit for
dedit.
406. grucdnng, grumbling ; mod. Y., grudge. HI. has chidy7ig.
407. Suggested by the complaint of a jealous man to his wife, in Le
Roman de la Rose, 9129 : —
'Car quant ge vous voil embracier
Por besier et por solacier,' &c.
414. ' Everything has its price.'
415. This proverb has occurred before ; see A. 4134. Lydgate
quotes it in st. 2 of a poem with the burden — ' Lyk thyn audience, so
utter thy langage '; see Polit., Relig., and Love Poems, ed. Fumivall,
p. 25, 1. 15. John of Salisbury says : — ' Veteri celebratur prouerbio :
quia uacuae manus temeraria petitio est '; Policraticus, lib. v. c. 10.
418. Cf. 1. 417. Bacon was considered as a common food for rustics.
Cf. * bacon-fed knaves '; i Hen. IV. ii. 2. 88. It is not worth while to
discuss the matter further.
430. cojiclusioun, purpose, aim, object.
432. Wilkin was evidently, like Malle or Afalkin, a name for a pet
lamb or sheep ; see B. 4021. In this line {\i jnekelyhe. trisyllabic, and
lok'ih monosyllabic), the word oitr-e is dissyllabic, which is not common
in Chaucer.
433. ba, kiss ; see note to A. 3709.
435. spyced conscience, scrupulous conscience ; see note to A. 526.
446. Peter, by St. Peter ; cf. Hous of Fame, 1034, 2000 ; also
G. 665, and the note ; and B. 1404. I shrew e you, I beshrew you.
460. This story is from Valerius Maximus ; Pliny tells it of one
Mecenius. In the margin of E., the reference is exactly given, viz. to
'Valerius, lib. 6. cap. 3,' which is quite right. I quote the passage:
' Egnatii autem Metelli longe minori de caussa ; qui uxorem, quod
vinum bibisset, fuste percussam interemit. Idque factum non accusatore
tantum, sed etiam reprehensore caruit ; unoquoque existimante, optimo
illam exemplo violatae sobrietatis poenas pependisse.' — Valerii Maximi
lib. vi. c. 3. Cf. Pliny, xiv. 13 ; Tertullian, Apologeticus, 6. Chaucer
twice quotes again the same chapter ; see notes to 11. 642, 647.
464. jHosie I thinke, I must (needs) think. For tnoste, Cm. has
?nuste, Ln. must. So also moste = m.nsi, in 1. 478.
467. From Le Roman de la Rose, 13656 : —
' Car puis que fame est enyvree
II n'a point en li de deffense.'
Cf. Ovid, Art. Amat. iii. 765 ; &c.
469. Cf. Le Roman de la Rose, 1 31 36 : —
' Par Diex ! si me plest-il encores :
Quant ge m'i sui bien porpens^e,
Moult me ddlite en ma pens^e,
LI. 399-498.] THE WIFE OF BATH'S PROLOGUE. 303
Et me resbaudissent li membre,
Quant de mon bon tens me remembre,
Et de la jolivete vie
Dont mes cuers a si grant envie.'
And again, just above, 1. 13 128 : —
* Mes riens n'i vaut le regreter ;
Qui est aid, ne puet venir,' &c.
These lines fonn part of the speech of La Vieille, on whom the Wife
of Bath is certainly modelled ; cf. note to A. 461.
483. loce, in Latin Judocus, a Breton saint, whose day is Dec. 13,
and who died in A. D. 669. Alban Butler says that his hermitage became
a famous monastery, which stood in the diocese of Amiens, and was
called St. Josse-sur-mer. This part of France became familiar to many
Englishmen in the course of the wars of Edward II L See, however,
Le Testament de Jean de Meung, 461-4, which I take to mean : —
' When dame Katherine sees the proof of Sir Joce, who cares not
a prune for his wife's love, she is so fearful that her own husband will
do her a hke harm, that she often makes for him a staff of a similar
bit of wood'; F. 'Si li refait sovent d'autel fust une croce.' It is
obvious that Chaucer has copied this in 1. 484, and that he here found
his rime to croce.
484. ' I made a stick for him of the same wood ' ; i. e. I retaliated by
rousing his jealousy ; compare the last note. Croce, a staff, O. F.
croce, F. crosse; see Crochem the New E. Dictionary. Cf. Prompt.
Parv., p. 103, note 5 ; and my note to P. Plowm. C. xi. 92.
487. In Hazlitt's Proverbs is given — ' To fry in his own grease,' from
Heywood ; it is explained to mean ' to be very passionate,' but means
rather ' to torment oneself.' He also quotes, from Heywood : —
* She fryeth in hir owne grease, but as for my parte,
If she be angry, beshrew her angry harte.'
See also Rich. Coer de Lion, 4409; Lydgate's Temple of Glas,
ed. Schick, pp. 14, 94.
492. The story is given by Jerome, in the treatise so often quoted
above. ' Legimus quendam apud Romanos nobilem, cum eum amici
arguerent quare uxorem formosam et castam et diuitem repudiasset,
protendisse pedem, et dixisse eis : Et hie soccus quern cernitis, uidetur
uobis nouus et elegans, sed nemo scit praeter me ubi me premat.' —
Hieron. c. louinianum, lib. i. : Epist. ii. 52 (Basil. 1524). John of
Salisbury has the same story, almost in the same words, but gives the
name of the noble Roman, viz. P. Cn. Graecinus. See his Policraticus,
lib. V. c. 10. Chaucer alludes to it again below, in E. 1553.
495. She went thrice to Jerusalem ; see A. 463.
496. ' Across the arch which usually divides the chancel from the
nave in English churches was stretched a beajii, on which was placed
a rood, i. e. a figure of our Lord on the cross.' — Bell.
498. In the margin of E. is the note : — * Appelles fecit mirabile opus
304 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group D.
in tumulo Darij : vnde in Alexandre, libro sexto.' There is a similar
sidenote at C. i6 ; see note to that line. This tomb of Darius is due
to fiction. The description of it occurs (as said) in the sixth book of
the Alexandreid, a vast poem in Latin, by one Philippe Gualticr de
Chatillon, a native of Lille and a canon of Tournay, who flourished
about A. D. 1 200. According to this poet, the tomb was the work of
a Jewish artist named Apellcs. See Lounsbury, Studies in Chaucer,
ii. 353-5, and G. Douglas, ed. Small, i. 134.
503. There is a parallel passage in Le Rom. de la Rose, 14678-99.
514. daungerous, sparing, not free ; cf. 1. 151.
517. IVayle, observe, watch ; 'observe what thing it is that we have
a difficulty in obtaining.'
52L * With great demur (or caution) we set forth all we have to sell.'
With daitnger implies that the seller makes a great difficulty of selling
things, i.e. drives a hard bargain, and makes a great favour of it.
Withoute daunger means without opposition, or without resistance ;
Cower, C. A. v. ii. p. 40.
Outen^ put out, set out or forth, is from A. S. ntian, verb, a derivative
of iii, out. Both here and in G. 834, Tyrwhitt needlessly alters the
reading to iitlren, against all the MSS. The note in Bell's Chaucer
says — ' Difficulty in making our market makes us bring out all our
ware for sale '; which is utterly remote from the true sense, and would
be the conduct of a reckless, not of a cautious woman. Compare the
next two lines.
522. ' A great throng of buyers makes ware dear (because there is
then great demand) ; and offering things too cheaply makes people
think they are of little value (because there is then too ready a supply).'
Hence the wise woman is careful not to be in too great a hurry to sell ;
and such is the meaning of 1. 521. It is further implied that, when
she gets her expected price, she does not hold out for a higher one.
552. From Le Rom. de la Rose, 9068, which again is from Ovid.
* Spectatum ueniunt, ueniunt spectentur ut ipsae ' ; Art. Amat. i. 99.
553. 'How could I knowwhere my favour was destined to be bestowed?'
555. From Le Rom. de la Rose, 13726 : —
' Sovent voise h, la mestre eglise,
Et face visitacions,
A noces, k processions,
A geus, k festes, a karoles,' &c.
556. vigiUes, festivals held on the eves or vigils of saints' days.
See note to A. y]"].
557. For ^recking, Cm. has prechyngis, and HI. p7'echwg's ; but all
the rest have /r^t:/«V;^, which I therefore retain. To prechtfig mt^r\s
' to any place where a sermon was being preached ' ; much as we say
* to church.' But the sermons were often given in the open air. The
Wife's object was to go wherever there was a concourse of people, in
order to shew her best clothes. Women still go ' to church ' for a like
LI. 503-572.] THE WIFE OF BATH'S PROLOGUE. 305
reason. Wycliff speaks strongly of the evil of pilgrimages ; see his
Works, ed. Matthew, p. 279 ; ed. Arnold, i. 83.
558. 'The miracle-plays were favourite occasions for people to
assemble in great numbers.' — Wright. Wright refers to a tale among
his Latin Stories, p. 100, See the Sermon against Miracle-Plays, in
Reliquiae Antiquae, ii. 42 ; reprinted in Matzner's Sprachproben, ii. 224.
559. ' And wore upon (me) my gay scarlet gowns.' The use of upon
without a case following it is curious ; but see D. 1018, 13S2 below.
The woxdigyte occurs again in A. 3954, where Simkin's wife wears
'■z.gyte of reed,' i.e. a red gown. Nares shews that it is used thrice by
Gascoigne, and once by Fairfax. The sense of ' robe ' will suit the
passage there quoted. Skelton has gyle in Elynour, 1. 68, where
the sense of ' robe ' or ' dress ' is certain. It is clearly the same word as
the Lowland Scotch gyde^ a dress, robe ; see note to A. 3954 (p. 118).
That the word meant both * veil ' and ' gown ' appears from the fact
that Roquefort explains the derived O. F. wiart as a veil with which
women co-\er their faces ; whilst Godefroy explains its variant form
guiart as a dress or vestment.
560. The sense is ; ' the worms, moths, and mites never fretted them
(i. e. my dresses) one whit ; I say it at my peril.' There is no difficulty,
and the reading is quite correct. Yet Tyrsvhitt altered peril ioparaille,
which he explains by 'apparel,' and Wright actually explains ^^r^/, in
the Karl. MS., in the same way ! Such an explanation turns the whole
into nonsense, as it could then only mean : ' the worms, &c. never
devoured iliemselves {\) at all upon my apparel.' Tyrwhitt evidently
took it to mean * never ^rf themselves upon (i.e. with) my apparel';
but it is impossible \hdiX.frele hem could ever be so interpreted. Frete
can only mean * devoured,' and it requires an accusative case ; this
accusative is hem, which can only refer to \}cv& gytes or 'gowns.' And
this leaves no other sense for ^^«7 except precisely 'peril,' which is of
course right. Upon viy peril is clearly a phrase, with the same sense
as ' at my peril.' The phrase is no recondite one ; cf. Rich. III. iv. i.
26, where we find 'on my peril'; and again, 'upon his peril,' in
Antony, v. 2. 143 ; Cymbeline, v. 4. 189.
566. ofmypurveyancey owing to my prudence, or prudent foresight ;
cf. 1. 570. Purveyance, provideiice, and prudence are mere variants;
from Lat. prouidefilia.
572. From Le Rom. de la Rose, 13354 :—
' Moult a soris povre secors,
Et fait en grant peril sa druge,
Qui n'a c'ung partuis k refuge.
Tout ainsinc est-il de la fame,' &c.
In Kemble's Solomon and Saturn, p. 57, several parallel proverbs are
given; e.g.—
' Mus miser est antro qui tantum clauditur uno.'
' Dolente la souris qui ne seit c'un pertuis.'
He refers us to Collins' Diet, of Span. Proverbs, p. 36 ; MS. Harl.
* * * ..
3o6 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group D.
3362, fol. 40 ; Griiter, Florilegium Ethico-politicum, p. 32 ; G. Herbert,
Jacula Prudentum, p. 67 ; MS. Proverbs, Corp, Chr. Cam, no, 450 ;
MS, Harl, 1800, fol. 37 b. The proverb in Herbert is — 'The mouse
that hath but one hole is quickly taken '; cf. Hazlitt's Proverbs, p, 380.
575, *I made him believe'; see above, enc/tan/ei/, bewitched, \h.
with philtres or love-potions ; according to an old belief. See Othello,
i, 2. 63-79. Cf. also Le Rom. de la Rose, 13895 : — * Si croi que m'aves
enchantee'; and the note to D. 747 (p. 311).
581. 7?^'^/ occurs so frequently as an epithet oigold, that association
of gold with blood was easy enough. See note to B. 2059 (p. 196).
602. a coltes tooth, the tooth of a young colt. Cf. 'Young folks
[are] most apt to love . . . the colfs&\)\. is common to all complexions';
Burton, Anat. of Mel. pt. 3. sec. 2. mem. 2. subsec. i, ' Yonr colt's tooth
is not cast yet'; Hen, VIII, i. 3. 48. And see A. 3888, E. 1847.
603. Gat-tothed \ see note to A, 468,
604. * I bore the impress of the seal of saint Venus.'
609, 610, Venericn, influenced by Venus ; Marcien, influenced by
Mars; cf, 11, 611, 612,
613. ascendent, the sign in the ascendant (or just rising in the east)
at my birth. This sign was Taurus, which was also called ' the man-
sion of Venus,' When Mars was seen in this sign when ascending, it
shewed the influence of Mars on Venus, Cf. the ' Compleint of Mars.'
In the margin of E. is a Latin note, referring us to ' Mansor Am-
phorison' 19'; followed by a quotation. The reference is to a treatise
called ' Almansoris Propositiones,' which begins with the words: —
* Aphorismorum compendiolum, mi Rex, petiisti,' &c. Hence 'Am-
phorison' 19' is an error for ' Aphorismorum 19,' This treatise is
printed in a small volume entitled ' Astrologia Aphoristica Ptolomaei,
Hermetis, , . , Almansoris, &c. ; Ulmae, 1641.' In this edition, the
section quoted (at p. 66) is not 19, but 14 ; and runs thus : — ' Cuicunque
fuerint in ascendente infortunae, turpem notam in facie patietur.' With
' infortunae,' we must supply ' planetae '; and the object of this quota-
tion is, clearly, to explain I. 619. Still more to the point is a remark in
sect. 74 of a treatise printed in the same volume, entitled 'CI. Ptolomaei
Centum Dicta'; where we find — ' Quicunque Martem ascendentem
habet, omnino cicatricem in facie habebit.'
Immediately after the above, in the margin of E., is a second quota-
tion, with a reference in the words : — ' Hec Hermes in libro fiducie ;
Amphoris °. 24°.' Here ' Amphoriswo ' should be ' Aphorismo.' The
quotation occurs in a third treatise, printed in the same volume as the
other two already mentioned, with the title ' Hermetis centum Aphoris-
morum liber.' In this printed edition, the section quoted is not the 24th,
but the 25th ; and runs thus : — ' In natiuitatibus mulierum, cum fuerit
ascendens aliqua de domibus Veneris, Marte existente in eis [vel e
contrario] *, erit mulier impudica. Idem erit, si Capricornum habuerit
^ The words vel e contrario are in the margin of E., but not in the printed
edition.
LI. 575-648.] THE WIFE OF BATH'S PROLOGUE. 307
in ascendente.' Here ' aliqua . . . Veneris ' means ' one of the mansions
of Venus ; her two mansions being Taurus and Libra.' The former is
expressly referred to in 1. 613, and is therefore intended.
In sect. 28 of the same treatise, we find: — 'Cum fuerit interrogatio
pro muliere, simpliciter accipe significationem b. Venere.' Hence
Venus is the planet that ruled over women.
' The woman that is born in this time [i. e. under Taurus] shall be
effectuall . . . she shall have many husbands and many children ; she
shall be in her best estate at xvi years, and she shall have a sign in the
middest of her body.' — Shepherdes Kalender, ed. 1656, sig. Q 5.
618. The phrase ' la chambre Venus ' occurs in Le Rom. de la Rose,
13540-
62L wis, surely, certainly : 'for, may God so surely be my,' &.c.
624. ' Ne vous chaut s'il est cors ou /o/is '; Rom. de la Rose, 8554.
634. on the list, on the ear. Such is the sense of lust in the Ancren
Riwle, p. 212, 1. 7, where the editor mistakes it. In Sir Ferumbras,
1. 1900, mention is made of a man striking another ' on the luste' with
his hand. The original sense of A. S. hlyst is the sense of ' hearing ';
but the Icel. /i/kj/ commonly means 'ear.' Cf. E. listen. For on the
list, HI. Cm. and Tyrwhitt have luith his Jist ; but Tyrwhitt, in hisnote
on the line, inclines to the reading here given, and quotes from Sir T.
More's poem entitled ' A Merry Jest of a Serjeant,' the lines : —
* And with his fist
Upoft the lyst
He gave hym such a blow.'
This juvenile poem is printed at length in the Preface to Todd's
edition of Johnson's Dictionar)', ed. 1827, i. 64.
G40. ' Although he had sworn to the coiitrary '; see a similar use of
this phrase in A. 1089 ; and the note at p. 65.
642. Rojnayji gestes, the ' Roman gests,' in the collection called
Gesta Romanorum, or stories of a like character. The reference, how-
ever, in this case is to Valerius Maximus, lib. vi. c. 3, as is certified by
the note in the margin of E., viz. ' Valerius, lib. vi. fol. 19.' The passage
is: ' Horridum C. quoque Sulpicii Galli maritale supercilium. Nam
uxorem dimisit, quod eam capite aperto foris versatam cognouerat.'
647. This story is from the same chapter in Valerius. The passage
is: ' Jungendus est his P. Sempronius Sophus, qui coniugem repudii
nota afifecit, nihil aliud quam se ignorante ludos ausam spectare.'
648. sovieres game, summer-game; called somer-ga7ne\xi P. Plow-
man, B. V. 413 ; and, in later English, a summering ', a rural sport at
Midsummer. The great day was on Midsummer eve, and the games
consisted of athletic sports, followed usually by bonfires. See Brand's
Pop. Antiquities ; Strutt, Sports and Pastimes, bk. iv. c. 3. § 22 ; the
description of the Cotswold Games in Chambers, Book of Days, i. 714 ;
the word Stttnmering in Nares' Glossary, &c. They were not always
respectably conducted.
X 2
3o8 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group D.
'Daunces, karols, somour-games,
Of manye swych come many shames.'
Rob. of Brunne, Handl. Synne, 1. 4684.
*As the common sorte of vnfaythfull women are wonte to goe forth
vnto weddynges and ;/w_>'-^«;-'/^j''; Paraphr. of Erasmus, 1549; Tim.
f. 8. Stubbes is severe upon May-games and Whitsun-games ; see his
Anatomy of Abuses, ed. Furnivall (Shak. Soc), p. 149.
651. See Ecclus. xxv. 25: — 'Give the water no passage; neither
a wicked woman hberty to gad abroad.' The Latin version is here
quoted in the margin of E.
655. This is clearly a quotation of some old saying, as shewn by the
metre, which here varies, and becomes irregular. There is a slightly
different version of it in Reliquiae Antiquae, i. 233 :—
' Who that byldeth his howse all of salos.
And prikketh a blynde horsse over the falowes,
And suffereth his wif to seke many halos,
God sende hym the blisse of everlasting galos!'
The proverb implies that these three things are the signs of a foolish
man. Salwes are osiers ; the osier is commonly CTiWtd sally in Shrop-
shire, and the same name is given to all kinds of willows. It is not
from the Lat. salix directly, but from the native A.S. sealk, which is
merely cognate with salzx, not borrowed from it. The three foolish
things to do are ; to build a house all of osiers, to spur a blind horse
over a fallow-field, and to allow a wife to go on a pilgrimage. To go
on a pilgrimage is here called 'to seek hallows,' i.e. saints, or saints'
shrines ; and the expression was a common one ; cf. A. 14. ' Gone to
seke hallows ' occurs in Skelton, i. 426, 1. 7, ed. Dyce ; and the editor
quotes two more examples at p. 337 of vol. ii.
659. ' I do not care the value of a haw for his proverbs.' In 1. 660,
«^ stands for ne of; see footnote.
662. 'Si het quicunques Ten chastoie'; Rom. de la Rose, 10012.
669. This book was evidently a MS. containing several choice extracts
from various authors ; see 1. 681.
67L Valerie. This refers to a treatise which Mr. Wright attributes
to Walter Mapes, entitled Epistola Valerii ad Rufinum, and common
in manuscripts ; the subject is, De 7ion ducenda tixore. See Warton,
Hist. E. Poetr>', 1840, ii. i£8, note. 'As to the rest of the contents of
this volume, Hieronymus contra Jovinianum, and Tertullian de Pallio
are sufficiently known ; and so are the letters of Eloisa and Abelard,
the Parables of Solomon, and Ovid's Art of Love. I know of no Tro-
tula but one, whose book Curandarum aegritudinum muliebrium, ante,
in, et post partum, is printed int. Medicos antiques, Ven. 1547. What
is meant by Crisippus, I cannot guess.' — Tyrwhitt.
Theofraste, Theophrastus, i. e. the treatise mentioned above ; see
note to 1. 221. It is frequently quoted above ; see notes to 11. 221, 235,
257,271,282,285,293, 303. He is called Theo/rales'm Le Roman, 1. 8599.
LI. 651-692.] THE WIFE OF BATH'S PROLOGUE. 309
676. Teriiclan, Tertullian. I do not quite understand why Tyrwhitt
(see note to 1. 671) singled out his treatise De Pallio, which is a treatise
recommending the wearing of the Qx^q}^ pallium in preference to the
Roman toga. Quite as much to the present purpose are his treatises
De Exhortatione Castitatis, dissuading a friend from marrying a second
time ; and De Monogamia and De Pudicitia, much to the same purport.
677. Crisippus, Chrysippus. There were at least two of this name:
(l) the Stoic philosopher, born B.C. 280, died 207, praised by Cicero
(Academics) and Horace. Also (2) the physician of Cnidos, in the
time of Alexander the Great, frequently mentioned by Pliny. It is
highly probable that neither the Wife of Bath nor Chaucer knew much
about him. The poet certainly caught the name from Jerome's treatise
against Jovinian, near the end of bk. i. ; Epist. i. 52. We there find : —
* Ridicule Chrysippus ducendam uxorem sapienti praecipit, ne louem
Gamelium et Genethlium uiolet.'
Helo-wys, Heloise, niece of Fulbert, a canon in the cathedral of
Paris, was secretly married to the celebrated Abelard, a proficient in
scholastic learning. She afterwards became a nun in the convent of
Argenteuil, of which she was, in course of time, elected the prioress.
Thence she removed, with her nuns, to the oratory of the Paraclete,
near Troyes, where the last twenty years of her life were spent. She
died in 1164, and was buried in Abelard's tomb. I have no doubt
at all that Chaucer derived his knowledge of her from the short
sketch of her life given in Le Roman de la Rose, 11. 8799-8870, where
the title of 'abbess' (F. abdesse) is conferred upon her. Only a few
lines above, we find the name of Valerius, who (it is there said, at
1. 8727) declared that a modest woman was rarer than a phoenix ;
and again, at 1. 8759, we find : * Si cum Valerius raconte '; and, at
1. 8767:— ,,r , • • , , •
' V alerius qui se doloit
De ce que Rufin se voloit
Marier,' &c.
This identifies Valerius as being the very one, whose name Walter
Mapes assumed ; as is explained above (note to 1. 671).
As to Trotula, I may here observe, in addition to what is said in
the note to 1. 671, that Warton mentions a MS. in Merton College,
with the title ' Trottula Mulier Salemiterna de passionibus mulierum';
another copy (which I have seen) is in the Camb. Univ. Library.
He adds — ' there is also extant, " Trottula, seu potius Erotis medici
muliebrium liber "; Basil. 1586 ; 4to.' See Warton, Hist. E. Poet. 1840,
ii. 188, }iote.
692. pcintede, depicted ; alluding to the fable in /Esop, where
a sculptor represented a man conquering a lion. The lion's criticism
was to the effect that he had heard of cases in which the lion conquered
the man. So likewise, the Wife's view of clerks differed widely from
the clerk's view of wives. In the margin of E. is the note — ' Quis
pinxit leonem ? ' The fable is amongst the ' Fables of ^sop ' as
3IO NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group d.
printed by Caxton, lib. iv. fab. 15 ; see Jacobs' edition, i. 251. In
his note upon the sources of this fable, Mr. Jacobs refers us to —
'Romulus, iv. 15. Man and Lion (statue), i. Loqman, 7; Sophos,
58. IL Plutarch, Apophth., Laced. 69; Scol. Eurip., Kor., 103;
Aphth. 38 ; Phaedrus, App. Burm., p. 20 ; Gabr., i. (not in Babrius) ;
Avian, 24. IIL Ademar, 52; Marie, 69; Berach., 56; Wright, ii. 28.
IV. Kirch., i. 80 ; Lafontaine, iii. 10 ; Rob., Oest. V. Spectator, no.
II ; L. 100, J. 84; Croxall, 30 (Lion and Statue).'
It is well put by Steele, in The Spectator, no. 1 1 : 'Your quotations
put me in mind of the Fable of the Lion and the Man. The Man,
walking with that noble Animal, shewed him, in the Ostentation of
Human Superiority, a Sign of a Man killing a Lion. Upon which
the Lionsaid verj' justly. We Lions are none of us Painters, else we could
shew you a hundred Men killed by Lions, for one Lion killed by a
Man.' Observe that here, as in Chaucer, the reference is to a painting,
not to sculpture.
696. all the mark of Adam, all beings made like Adam, i. e. all
males. This idiomatic expression is cleared up by reference to F. 880,
where mcrk means 'image' or 'likeness '; see that passage.
697. The children of Mercurie are the clerks, and those of Venus
are the ivomen ; see 11. 693, 694. See below.
699, 700. Here the reference is to astrology. The whole matter is
explained in a side-note in E., which is copied from § 2 of Almansoris
Astrologi Propositiones (see note to 1. 613 above), and requires some
correction. It should run as follows: — ' Vniuscuiusque planetarum
septem exaltacio in illo loco esse dicitur, in quo substantialiter patitur ab
alio contrarium, veluti Sol in Ariete, qui Saturni casus est. Sol enim
habet claritatem, Satumus tenebrositatem. . . . Et sic Mercurius in
Virgine, qui casus est Veneris. Alter [scilicet Mercurius] namque
significat scientiam et philosophiam. Altera vero causat alacritates et
quicquid est saporiferum corpori.' I take this to mean, that the sign
which is called the ' exaltation ' of one planet (in which it exhibits
its greatest influence) is also the ' dejection ' of another which is there
weakest. Thus the sign Virgo was the ' exaltation ' of Mercuiy ; but
it was also the ' dejection ' of Venus, whose ' exaltation ' was in Pisces.
For the dejection of every planet occurs in the sign opposite to that
in which is its exaltation ; and Virgo and Pisces are opposite. The
word casus is here used in the astrological sense of ' dejection.' It
further follows that Pisces was the 'depression' of Mercury', which
Chaucer expresses by the term desolat. The note also tells us that
the planet Mercury implies 'science and philosophy'; whilst Venus
implies 'lively joys and w-hatever is agreeable to the body.'
Venus is again alluded to as being in her exaltation in Pisces, in
F. 273. Gower refers to Virgo as being the exaltation of Mercury ;
Conf. Amant. iii. 121.
715. Eva, Eve. The spelling Eva is frequently contrasted with that
of Ave, the salutation of Gabriel to Mary. Tyrwhitt says : — ' Most
LI. 696-747-] THE WIFE OF BATH'S PROLOGUE. 311
of the following instances are mentioned in the Epistola Valerii ad
Rufinum de non ducenda uxore. See also Rom. de la Rose, 9140,
9615, et suiv.' In Me'on's edition of Le Rom. de la Rose, Deianira is
mentioned in 1. 9235, and Samson in 1. 9243 ; I do not quite make out
Tyrwhitt's numbering of the lines.
721. Cf. the Monkes Tale, B. 3205, 3256.
725. Cf. the Monkes Tale, B. 3285, 3310.
727. From Jerome against Jovin., lib. i. (near the end) ; Epist. i. 52.
'Socrates Xantippen et Myron neptem Aristidis duas habebat uxores
. . . Quodam autem tempore cum infinita conuicia ex superiori loco
ingerenti Xantippae restitisset, aqua perfusus immunda, nihil amplius
respondit, quhm, capite deterso : Sciebam (inquit) futurum, ut ista
tonitrua hymber sequeretur.' The story is thus told by Erasmus,
as translated by Udall. * Socrates, after that he had within dores
forborne his wife Xantippe, a greate while scoldyng, and at the last
beyng wearie, had set him doune without the strete doore, she beyng
moche the more incensed, by reason of her housbandes quietnesse and
stilnesse, powred down a pisse-bolle upon him out of a windore, and
al beraied him. But upon soche persones as passed by, laughing and
hauing a good sport at it, Socrates also, for his part, laughed again as
fast as the best, saiyng : Naie, I thought verie well in my minde, and
did easily prophecie, that after so great a thonder would come a raine.'
— Udall, tr. of Erasmus' Apophthegmes, Socrates, § 59.
733. These instances are also from Jerome, some twenty lines further
on (same page). ' Quid referam Pasiphacn, Clytemnestram, et Eri-
phylam ; quarum prima deliciis diffluens, quippe regis uxor, tauri
dicitur expetisse concubitus : altera occidisse uirum ob amorem
adulteri : tertia prodidisse Amphiar[a]um, et saluti uiri monile aureum
praetulisse.' This passage is quoted, almost in the same words, in
the margin of E. As to Eriphyle, Chaucer shews that he possessed
further information, as he mentions Thebes. He consulted, in fact,
the Thebaid of Statius, bk. iv, where we learn that Eriphyle betrayed
her husband Amphiaraus, for a golden necklace ; he was thus forced
to accompany Polynices to the siege of Thebes, where he perished by
being swallowed up by an earthquake. Chaucer again calls him
Amphiorax in AneHda, 57, and in Troilus, ii. 105, v. 1500, Cf. Lyd-
gate's Siege of Thebes, part 3.
747. Tyrwhitt says :— ' In the Epistola Valerii, in MS. Reg. 12. D.
iii. [in the British Museum], the story is told thus : " Luna virum
suum interfecit quern nimis odivit : Lucilia suum quem nimis ama\it.
Ilia sponte miscuit aconita : haec decepta furorem propinavitpro amoris
poculo." Lima and Luna in many MSS. are only distinguishable by
a small stroke over the ?', which may easily be overlooked where it is,
and supposed where it is not.' However, the right name is neither
Lima nor Luna, but Liuia (Livia), which is easily confused with
either of the other forms. Livia poisoned her husband Drusus (son of
Tiberius), at the instigation of Sejanus, .\. D. 23. See Ben Jonson's
312 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group d.
Sejanus, Act ii, sc. i. Lucia (or rather Lucilia) was the wife of
Lucretius the poet ; see Tennyson's poem of Lucretius (Lounsbury,
Studies in Chaucer, ii. 369).
757. This is a stock storj', told of various people. Tyrwhitt says
that it occurs in the Epistola Valerii, of one Pavorifius, and that the
story begins : — ' Pavorinus flens ait Arrio.' Lounsbuiy (Studies in
Chaucer, ii. 369) referring to the same story, gives the name as Pacu-
vius. It is, in fact, one of the stories in the Gesta Romanorum (tale
33), where it is ascribed to Valerius, (By Valerius is, of course,
meant the Epistola Valerii of Walter Mapes, where it duly appears,
as Tyrwhitt notes, and may be found in MS. Reg. 12. D. iii ; as is
observed by Sir F. Madden, in a note to Warton's Hist. E. Poet., ed.
Hazlitt, 1871, i. 250. It does not refer to Valerius Maximus, as I have
ascertained.)
In the Gesta, it is told of Paletinus, who lamented to his friend
Arrius that a certain tree in his garden was fatal, for three of his wives
had, successively, hung themselves upon it. Arrius at once begged to
have some slips of it ; and Paletinus 'found this remarkable tree the
most productive part of his estate,'
The story is really from Cicero, De Oratore, lib. ii. 69 ; 278. 'Salsa
sunt etiam, quae habent suspicionem ridiculi absconditam ; quo in
genere est illud Siculi, cum familiaris quidam quereretur, quod diceret,
uxorem suam suspendisse se de ficu. Amabo te, inquit, da inihi ex
ista arbore^ quos serum, surculos^
Thus the original story only mentions one wife. This is just how
stories grow,
A similar story is ascribed to Diogenes. ' When he [Diogenes] had
on a time espied women hanging upon an olive-tree, and there strangled
to death with the halters : Would God (said he) that the other trees had
like fruite hanging on them ! ' — Udall, tr, of Erasmus' Apophthegmes,
Diogenes, § 124.
766. The horrible story of ' the Widow of Ephesus ' is 'bf this
character, but not quiie so bad, as her husband died naturally. See
Wright's introduction to his edition of The Seven Sages, p. Ixvi ; and
the text of the same, pp. 84-9, It occurs in John of Sahsbury, Poli-
craticus, viii, 11, And see Exempla of Jacques de Vitry, ed. Crane,
1890, p. 228 ; Clouston's Pop. Tales, i. 29.
769. Alluding, doubtless, to Jael and Sisera ; see note to A. 2007.
775. ' I had rather dwell with a lion and a dragon, than to keep
house with a wicked woman'; Ecclus. xxv. 16. Cf. Prov. xxi. 19.
778, From Prov. xxi. 9 ; and 11. 780, 781 seem to have been suggested
by the following verse (xxi, 10).
782. This is from Jerome, near the end of bk. i. of his treatise against
Jovinian (p. 52) : — 'Scribit Herodotus, quod mulier cum ueste deponat
et uerecundiam.' This again is from Herodotus, bk. i. c. 8, where it
is told as a saying of Gyges : — cl/xa hi Kidavi exSvo/^teVo), o-vveKdverai kuI
Tqv alba> yvvT],
LI. 757-857] THE TALE OF THE WYF OF BATHE. 313
784. From Prov. xi. 22.
799. breyde, started, woke up. The A.S. verb bregdan is properly
a strong verb, with the pt. t. brccgd\ so that the true form of the pt. t.
in M.E. is breyd, without a final e. But it was turned into a weak
verb, with the pt. t. breyd-e (as here), by confusion with such verbs as
seyd-e, deyd-e, leyd-e, and the like. It is remarkable that our author
is inconsistent in the use of the form for the pt. t. In his earlier poems,
he has the older form abj-ayd, riming with sayd (pp.), Book of the
Duch. 192; or abreyd, riming with styd (pp.), Ho. of Fame, no.
But in the Cant. Tales, we find only the weak form breyd-e, riming
with seyd-e, preyd-e, and deyd-e, B. 3728 ; with seyd-e, leyd-e, B. ?>i7 ;
and with seyd-e, A. 4285, F. 1027. Also abreyd-e, riming with seyd-e,
deyd-e, A. 4190, E. 106 1.
816. This is one of the ways in which our MSS. have perished.
824. Cf. 'from Hulle to Cartage'; A. 404; and see C. 722.
844. now elles, now otherwise ; i. e. and so you may ; I defy you.
847. Sidingborne, Sittingbourne, about forty miles from London,
and beyond Rochester, which is mentioned in the Monk's Prologue,
B. 31 16.
The Tale of the Wyf of Bathe.
For a discussion of the source of this Tale, see vol. iii. p. 447.
A ver^' similar story occurs in Gower's Confessio Amantis, bk. i.
(p. 89, Pauli's edition), where the hero of the story is named Florent, and
is said to have been a grandson of the Roman Emperor Claudius.
It also occurs in the Book of Ballymote, an Irish MS. of the four-
teenth century. The Irish text was printed, together with a trans-
lation by Dr. Whitley Stokes, in The Academy, Apr. 23, 1892, p. 399.
Dr. Stokes claims for the Tale a Celtic origin. See also The Academy,
Apr. 30, 1892.
Chaucer's Tale has been modernised by Dryden. This later version
contains many spirited lines, but lacks the grace of the original. It is
interesting as a commentary, and is worth comparison.
This Tale has been well edited, with notes, in Matzner's Altenglische
Sprachproben, i. 338.
857. The author of the spurious Pilgrim's Tale, which, it is said,
William Thynne wished to insert in his edition of Chaucer, has
plagiarised from the opening lines of the Wife of Bath's Tale in the
coolest manner. I quote some of his lines, for comparison, from
Thynne's Animadversions, &c., ed. Furnivall, Appendix I., p. 79, 11.
85-98 :-
' The cronikis old from kynge Arthur
He could rehers, and of his founder
Tell full many a whorthy story.
Wher this man walked, there was no farey
314 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group D.
Ner other spiritis, for his blessynges
And munbling of his holy thinges
Did vanquyche them from euery buch and tre :
There is no nother incubus but he ;
P'or Chaucer sathe, in the sted of the quen elfe,
"Ther walketh now the limitour himself."
For whan that the incubus dyd fle,
Yt was to bringe .vii. worse than he ;
And that is the cause there beyn now no fareys
In hallis, bowris, kechyns, ner deyris.'
For a general discussion of the legends about King Arthur, see the
essay in vol. i. (p. 401) of the Percy Folio MS., ed. Hales and Fumivall.
In Malory's Morte Arthure we have an example of a fairy in Arthur's
sister, Morgan le Fay, who was ' put to scole in a nonner>' ; and ther
she lemed so moche that she was a grete clerke of nygromancye ';
bk. i. cap. 2.
860. elf-queen, Proserpine, according to Chaucer ; see E. 2229 ; also
B. 754, 1978, and the notes.
861. Hence the 'fairy-rings,' as Dr>-den tells us: —
'And where the jolly troop had led the round,
The grass unbidden rose, and mark'd the ground.'
On the subject of Fairies, see Keightley's Fairy Mythology, and
similar works. Tyrwhitt notes that few old authors tell us so much
about them as Ger\ase of Tilbur)'.
866. Ivniiours, limiters ; see A. 209, and the note; D. 1 711;
P. Plowman, B. v. 138, C. xxiii. 346 ; Massingberd, Eng. Reformation,
p. no.
868. The number of mendicant friars in England, during the latter
half of the fourteenth century, was indeed large. In Wyclif's Works,
ed. Arnold, iii. 400, we read that * now ben mony thousand of freris in
Englond'; and, at p. 51 1, that they were, 'as who seith, withoute
noumbre.' In P. Plowman, C. xxiii. 269, Conscience accuses the friars
of waxing * oute of numbre,' and reminds them that ' Hevene haveth
evene numbre, and helle is withoute numbre.'
869. The occurrence here of three consecutive lines (869-871) in
which the first foot is deficient, consisting only of a single accented
syllable, is worth notice. The way in which Tyrwhitt ' amends ' these
lines is most surprising. He inserts and five times, and his first line
defies scansion, though I suppose he made halVs a monosyllable, and
>^zV/i(f«-^j- trisyllabic, whereas it plainly has but two syllables. Here
is his result.
* Blissing halles, chambres, kichenes, and boures,
Citees and burghes, castles highe and toures,
Thropes and hemes, shepenes, and dairies,
This maketh that ther ben no faeries.'
Note that he actually seems to have read dairies and faeries as
LI. 860-880.] THE TALE OF THE WYF OF BATHE. 315
riming dissyllabic words ! In which case the last of these four Hnes
wouJd have but four accents ! But the rime merely concerns the two
final syllables of those quadrisyllabic words. The riming of the two
former syllables is unessential, and for the purpose of rime, accidental
and otiose.
MS. Pt. admits rt;/^ before botires ; and MS. HI. admits rt«^ before
toiires and dairies (which does not alter the character of the lines).
With these exceptions, all the seven MSS. omit all the five ands
inserted by Tyrvvhitt ; and, in fact, they are all of them superfluous.
For the benefit of those who are but little acquainted with this
peculiarity of Middle English metre, I <:\\.& four consecutive lines oi
a similar character from Lydgate's Siege of Thebes, 11. 1239-1242 : —
' Drogh I the brydyl from his horses hede,
Let 1 hym goon, and took no maner hede,
Thorgh I the gardyn that enclosed was,
Hym I to pasture on the grene gras.'
There are plenty more of the same kind in the same poem ; e. g.
1068, 1081, 1082, 1089, 1103, 1107, 1116, 1120, 1122, 1123, 1140, 1141,
1 15 1, &c., &c., all printed in Specimens of English from 1394-1579, ed.
Skeat, pp. 28-34. For similar lines in Hoccleve, see the same, p. 16,
St. 604, 1. 6 ; St. 605, 1. 2 ; p. 20, st. 622, 1. 2 ; p. 21, st. 624, 1. 4.
87 L Thropcs=ihorpes, villages; see E. 199.
shipnes, stables, or cow-houses ; see A. 2000. ' Shippen, Shuppen,
a cow-house'; E. D. S. Gloss. B. L ^Shippen, an ox-house '; id. B. 6.
^ Sltuppen, a cow-house'; id. B. 7 ; * Shippen, a cow-house'; id. B. 15.
875. underineles, for undern-nieles, undern-times. For the time of
undern, see note to E. 260. Afeel (pi. meles) is the A. S. vtcel, a time.
The time referred to, in this particular instance, seems to be the middle
of the afternoon ; or simply ' afternoons,' as opposed to * mornings.'
For this sense, cf. * Undermele, Postmeridies,' in the Prompt. Parv.
Nares, s. v. iinder-fneal, gives other instances ; but he fails to realise the
changeable sense of the word ; and is quite wrong in saying (s. v.
undertime) that the last-named word is unconnected with undern. He
also wrongly dissociates undern from amdern and orndern.
876. 'All religious persons were bound, if possible, to recite the
divine office . . at the proper hour, in the choir ; but secular priests,
not living in common, and friars, being by their rule obliged to walk
about within their limitation, to beg their maintenance, were allowed to
say it privately, . . as they walked.' — Bell. Cf. B. 1281.
880. incubus. Milton (P. R. ii. 152) speaks of Belial as being, after
Asmodai, ' the fleshliest incubus.' Mr. Jerram's note on the line says :
'Some of the ejected angels were believed not to have fallen into
hell, but to have remained in the middle of the region of air (P. R. ii.
117), where in various shapes they tempt men to sin. It was said
that they hoped to counteract the effects of Christ's coming by engen-
dering with some virgin a semi-demon, who should be a power of evil.
In this way Merlin, and even Luther, were reported to have been
3i6 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group d.
begotten.' See the Romance of Merlin, ed. Wheatley, ch. i. pp. 9, 10;
and the poem of Merlin in the Percy Folio MS.
881. Tyrvvhitt and others adopt the reading no dishonour, as in the
old black-letter editions; and MS. Cm. has the reading nan. At first
sight, this looks right, but a little reflection will incline us rather to
adopt the reading of nearly all the MSS., as given in the present text.
For to say that the friar was an incubus, and yet did women no dis-
honour, is contradictor>\ The meaning is, possibly, that the friar
brought upon women dishonour, and nothing more ; whereas the
incubus never failed to cause conception. Lounsbury (Studies in
Chaucer, i. 257) adopts the reading here given, but interprets it thus : —
' The dishonour of a woman is, in the eyes of the Wife of Bath, to be
reckoned not as a crime, but as a peccadillo.' (See the whole passage.)
The subject will hardly bear further discussion ; but it is impossible
to ignore the repeated charges of immorality brought against the friars
by Wyclif and others. Wyclif says — ' thei slen wommen that with-
stonden hem in this synne'; Works, ed. Matthew, p. 6.
884. y>'(? river^ i. e. he was returning from hawking at the river-side.
See B. 1927, and the note.
887. mattgree Mr heed, lit. ' in spite of her head,' i. e. in spite of all
she could do, without her consent. Cf, A. 1169, 2618; also I. 974,
w-here we find : — 'if the womman, viatigreehirheed, hath been afforced.'
Matzner remarks that, in some cases, we find a part of the head
referred to, instead of the whole head. Hence the expressions :
vimigre his fiose, Rob. of Gloucester, 2090 (p. 94, ed. Heame) ; viaugree
thyne yen, Ch. C. T., D. 315 ; maugree hir eycn two, id., A. 1796;
maugree my chekes, Allit. Poems, ed. Morris, C. 54 ; m. here chekis,
P. Plowman, B. iv. 50 ; &c.
909. lere, learn; as in B. 181, 630, C. 325, 578, &c. But the right
sense is ' teach.' See 1. 921.
twelf-month, &c. ' There seems to have been some mysterious
importance attached to this particular time of grace,' &c. — Bell.
I think not. The solution is simply, that it takes an extra day to make
the date agree. If we fix any date, as Nov. 21, 1890, the space of
a year afterwards only brings us to Nov. 20, 1891 ; if we want to keep
to the same day of the month, we must make the space include ' a year
and a day.' This is what any one would naturally do ; and that
is all. Cf. A. 1850, and the note. ' Year and Day, is a time that
determines a right in many cases ; ... So is the Year and Day given
in case of Appeal, in case of Descent after Entry or Claim,' «Scc. ;
Cowell, Intrepreter of Words and Terms. See 1. 916 below; and cf.
Eight days, i. e. a week, in the New Eng. Dictionary.
922. cost, coast, i. e. region ; as in i Sam. v. 6 ; Matt. viii. 34, &c.
924. The scansion is — Two cre-a-tiir-es d.ccordinge in-fere.
925. Cf. Gower, Conf. Amant. i. 92 : —
' To som woman it is plesaunce
That to another is grevaunce'; &c.
LI. 881-972.] THE TALE OF THE WYF OF BATHE. 317
929-30. Cf. Rom. de la Rose, 9977-94. For y-plesed, Tyrwhitt and
Wright read y-preised, contrary to the seven best MSS. ; which gives
an imperfect rime, prey sed r'lmts with reysed (D. 706).
940. galle, sore place. *■ Galle, soore yn man or beeste'; Prompt.
Parv. ' Let the ^rt//tv^ jade wince'; Hamlet, iii. 2. 253.
clawe means 'to scratch'; and to clawe upon the galle is to scratch
or rub a sore. This may be taken in two ways ; hence the difficulty
about the reading in 1. 941, where E. Cm. have/'/y^^, i.e. kick, whilst
Hn. HI. have like, and Cp. Pt. Ln. have loke or he seith us soth. The
last of these three variations gives no sense, and is certainly wrong ;
but either of the other readings will serve. I take them in order.
(i) kike, kick. Here the sense is : — * if any one scratch us on a sore
place (and so hurt us), we shall kick, because he tells us the truth (too
plainly).' This goes well with the context, as it answers to the
repreve us of our vyce in 1. 937.
(2) like, like (it), be pleased. Here the sense is : — ' if any one
stroke us on a sore place (and so soothe the itching), we shall be
pleased, because he tells us the truth (or what we think to be the truth).'
But I feel inclined to reject this reading, because it gives so forced
a sense to the words— y&r he seith us sooth. There is, however, no
difficulty about the use of cla7i' in the sense of ' to rub lightly, so as to
soothe irritation'; for which see examples in the New English Dictionary.
It is particularly used in the phrase to claw one's back, i. e. to soothe,
flatter ; but the word ^a//^ suggests a place where friction would rather
hurt than soothe.
I leave it to the reader to settle this nice question.
949. rake-stele, the handle of a rake. The word stele is still in use
provincially. * Stale, any stick, or handle, such as the stick of a mop
or a fork'; South Warwickshire ; E. D. S. Gl. C. 6. * Stale [stae'ul],
s. handle ; as, mop-stale, pick-stale, brooui-siale ' ; Elworthy's West
Somerset Words. And see Steal in Ray's Glossary ; Stele in Nares ;
Steale in Halliwell ; &c. Cf. A. 3785 ; P. Plowman, C. xxii. 279.
Golding translates Ovid's hastile (Metam. vii. 676) by * laueling-
steale.' The e is ' open '; cf. A. S. stela ; hence the rime with hele (A. S.
helan) is perfect.
950. ' Car fame ne puet riens celer'; Rom. de la Rose, 19420. See
also the same, 16549-70.
952. Ovyde; see Metamorph. xi. 174-193. But Chaucer seems to
have purposely altered the story, since Ovid attributes the betrayal of
the secret to Midas' barber, not his wife; and again, Ovid says that
the barber dug a hole, and whispered it into the pit. Chaucer's version
is an improved one. Cf Troil. iii. 1389.
96L Cf. Rom. de la Rose, 16724-32.
968. Dryden is plainer, and less polite: — 'But she must burst or
blab.' Cf. Rom. de la Rose, 16568-9.
972. bitore, bittern ; bumbleth, makes a bellowing noise, which is
also expressed by bumping or bootning. Note that MS. Cm. has
3i8 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group d.
bumbith. Owing to the loud booming note of the male bittern, it is
called in A. S. rCire-dumle or rdre-dutnbla, from rdrian, to roar; see
Wright's Glossaries. In provincial English, it is called z butter-bump,
or a butnble ; or, from its frequenting moist places, a bog-bwnper, a bog-
drum, or a bull o' the bog\ see Swainson's Provincial Names of British
Birds, E. D. S., p. 146. It was formerly thought that the cry was
produced by the bird plunging its bill into mud and then blowing, as in
the present passage ; others thought that it put its bill into a reed,
a view taken by Dryden, as he here has the line : — ' And, as a bittern
buvips within a reed! Sir T. Browne, in his Vulgar Errors, bk. iii.
c. 27, controverts these notions, and attributes the note to the con-
formation of the bird's organs of voice. * The same contradiction of
the common notion is given, from personal experience, by the Rev. S.
Fovargue, in his New Catalogue of Vulgar Errors, pp. 19-21'; note
to Sir T. Browne, ed. S. Wilkin. The same editor further refers us to
papers by Dr. Latham and Mr. Yarrcll in the Linnaean Transactions,
vols, iv, XV, and xvi. See Prof. Newton's Diet, of Birds.
98L There is not much ' remnant' of the tale; Ovid adds that some
reeds grew out of the pit, which, when breathed upon by the South
wind, uttered the words which had been buried.
992. This reminds us of Chaucer's own vision of Alcestis and her
nineteen attendant ladies in the Prologue to the Legend of Good
Women.
997. Cf. Cower, Conf. Amantis, i. 93 : —
' In a forest, there under a tree
He sigh where sat a creature,
A lothly womannish figure,
Thati for to speke of flesshe and boon,
So foul yet sigh he never noon.'
Also, in the Marriage of Sir Gawaine, st. 15 : —
* And, as he rode over a more,
Hee see a lady where she sate
Betwixt an oake and a greene hollen [holly] ;
She was cladd in red scarlett. . . .
Her nose was crooked and turnd outward,
Her mouth stood foule a-wry ;
A worse formed lady than shee was
Neuer man saw with his eye.'
1004. cari, know ; but the form is singular, to agree w'xXh folk. Cf. the
proverb — 'older and wiser' — in Hazlitt's Collection ; and see A. 2448.
1018. wereth on, wears upon (her), has on ; cf. 1. 559 above.
calle, caul ; a close-fitting netted cap or head-dress, often richly
ornamented ; see Fairholt, Costume in England, s. v. Caul.
1021. pistell, (i) an epistle, as in E. 1154 ; hence (2), a short lesson,
as here.
LI. 981-1128.] THE TALE OF THE WYF OF BATHE. 319
1024. Iiolde his day^ kept his time, come back at the specified time.
hight, promised.
1028. ' Queen Guenever is here represented sitting as judge in a
' Court of Love, similar to those in fashion in later ages. . . Fontenelle
(in the third volume of his works, Paris, 1742) has given a description
of one of the fantastic suits tried in these courts . . . The best source
of information on these strange follies is a book entitled Erotica, sen
Amatoria, Aiidrece Capellarii Regis, &c., -written about A. D. 1 170,
and published at Dorpmund in 1610.' — Bell.
1038. Cf Gower, Conf. Amantis, i. 96 : —
' That alle women levest wolde
Be soverein of mannes love,' &c.
So also in the Marriage of Sir Gawaine, st. 28 : —
— * a woman will have her will,
And this is all her cheef desire.'
1069. The scansion is — ' Shold' ev'r | so foul | e dis | pard | ged be.'
1074. It is curious to note how Chaucer seems to have felt that
romance-writers were constrained to describe feasts, a duty which he
usually evades. Cf. A. 2197, B. 419, 11 20, E. 17 10, F. 278. In fact, the
original business of the minstrel was to praise his lord's bounty,
especially on grand occasions.
1081. So in Gower's Conf. Amantis, i. 100 : —
' But as an oiile fleeth by nighte
Out of all other briddes sighte,
Right so this knight, on daies brode,' &c.
This line, for a wonder, is unaltered by Dryden in his paraphrase.
1085. walweth, rolls from side to side, turns about restlessly ; cf.
Leg. Good Wom. 1 166 ; Troil. i. 699 ; Rom. Rose, 2562.
1088. Fareth, pronounced as Far'th ; cf. tak'th in 1072,
1090. dangerous, distant, unapproachable ; see D. 151.
1109. Gentilesse. See my notes (in vol. i. 431, 553) on R. R, 2190,
and Gentilesse. Compare Boethius, bk. iii. pr. 6 and met. 6 ; Roman
de la Rose, ed. Meon, 6603-6616, and 18807-19096 ; and see B. 2831.
1114. Zi.privee n'apert in 1. 1 136 ; 'in private and in public'
1117. ivol we, desires that we ; see 1130 below.
1121. Cf. Balade of Gentilesse, 11. 16, 17.
1128. Cf. Dante, Piirgat. vii. 121 : —
' Rade volte risurge per li rami
L'umana probitate: e questo vuole
Ouei che la da, perch^ da lui si chiami.'
Gary's translation is : —
' Rarely into the branches of the tree
Doth human worth mount up : and so ordains
He who bestows it, that as His free gift
It may be called.'
320 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group a
Marsh notes that similar sentiments occur in the Canzone prefixed to
the fourth Trattato in Dante's Convito.
1135. The general sense is — ' if gentle conduct were naturally im-
planted in a particular family, none of that family could ever behave
badly.' Cf. 11. 1 150, 115 1.
' Were virtue by descent, a noble name
Could never villanise his father's fame.'
Dryden's paraphrase.
1140. Chaucer's tr. of Boethius, bk. ii. pr. 7. 43, mentions 'the
mountaigne that highte Caiicasjcs.' This is probably where he got the
name from. Cf. Shakespeare's 'frosty Caucasus'; Rich. II. i. 3. 295.
The whole passage is imitated from another place in Boethius, where
Chaucer's translation has : — ' Certes, yif that honour of poeple were
a natural yift to dignitees, itne mighte never cesen . . . to don his office,
right as fyr in every contree ne stinteth nat to eschaufen and to ben
hoot'; bk. iii. pr. 4. 44-8. In 1. 1139, Dr>'den merely alters in to to.
1142, lye, i.e. blaze. * Hevene y-leyed wose syth,' whoever sees
heaven in a blaze ; Relig. Antiq. i. 266. The sb. lye^ a flame, occurs
in P. PI. C. XX. 172. Cf. A. S. lyg, lig, flame.
1146-56. !Much altered and expanded in Uryden.
1158. Cf. Rom. of the Rose, 2181 :—
' For vilany makith vilayn ;
And by his dedis a cherl is seyn.'
1165. 'Incunabula Tulli Hostilii agreste tugurium cepit : ejusdem
adolescentia in pecore pascendo fuit occupata : validior aetas imperium
Romanum rexit, et duplicavit : senectus excellentissimis ornamentis
decorata in altissimo majestatis fastigio fulsit.' — Valerius Maximus, lib.
iii. c. 4 (De Humili Loco Natis). Cf. Livy, i. 22 ; Dionysius Halicar-
nasseus, iii ; yElian, xiv. "^6.
1168. Senek, Seneca. Boece, Boethius ; see note to 1109.
1184. LI. 1 1 83-1 1 90 are imitated from the following; 'Honesta, inquit
[Epicurus], res est laeta paupertas. Ilia uero non est paupertas, si laeta
est. Cui enim cum paupertate bene conuenit, diues est. Non qui
parum habet, sed qui plus cupit, pauper est.' — Seneca, Epist. ii. § 4.
This passage is quoted by John of Salisbury, Policraticus, 1. vii. c. 13.
Othere clerkes also includes Epicurus, whose sentiments Seneca here
expresses ; see Diogenes Laertius, x. 1 1. MS. E. here quotes the words
' honesta res est laeta paupertas ' in the margin, and refers to ' Seneca,
in epistola.' It also has : — ' Pauper est qui eget, eo quod non habet ;
sed qui non habet, nee appetit habere, ille diues est ; de quo intelligitur
id Apocalypsis tertio [Rev. iii. 17] — dicis quia diues sum.' With
1. 1 1 87 cf. Rom. de la Rose, 18766 : — 'Et convoitise fait povrece.'
1191. All the editions adopt the reading is si7ine, as in all the MSS.
except E. and Cm. (the two best) ; see footnote, p. 354. But surely
this is nonsense, and exactly contradicts 1. 1 1 83.
1192. In the margin of MS. E. are quoted two lines from Juvenal,
LI. 1135-202] THE TALE OF THE WYF OF BATHE. 321
Sat. X. 21,22 : — ' Cantabit uacuus coram latrone uiator ; Et nocte ad
lumen trepidabit arundinis umbram.' The latter of these lines should
come first, and the usual readings are motae (not nocte), lunam, and
irepidabis. However, it is only the other (and favourite) line that is
here alluded to. The same line is quoted in Piers Plowman, B. xiv.
305 ; and is alluded to in Chaucer's tr. of Boethius, bk. ii. pr. 5. 129-
130. In Wyclif's Works, ed, Arnold, ii. 364, is the remark: — 'For
// is said co7nounli, that a wey-goer, whan he is voide, singith sure
bi the theef.'
1195. In the margin of E. is written: — 'Secundus philosophus :
Paupertas est odibile bonum, sanitatis mater, curarum remocio, sapi-
entie reparatrix, possessio sine calumpnia.' This is the very passage
quoted, even more fully, in Piers Plowman, B. xiv. 275 (C. xvii. 117).
Tyrwhitt's note is — * In this commendation of Poverty, our author
seems plainly to have had in view the following passage of a fabulous
conference between the emperor Adrian and Secundus the philosopher,
reported by Vincent of Beauvais, Speculum Ilistoriale, lib. x. cap. 71.
" Quid est paupertas ? Odibile bonum, sanitatis mater, remotio cura-
rum, sapientie repertrix, negotium sine damno, possessio absque
calumnia, sine sollicitudine felicitas." What Vincent has there
published seems to have been extracted from a larger collection of
Gnomae under the name of Secundus, which are still extant in Greek
and Latin. See Fabricius, Bib. Gr., 1. vi. c. x, and MS. Karl. 399.'
Thus 1. 1 195 is a translation of Paupertas est odibile bontwi, so that
the proposal by Dr. Morris (Aldine edition of Chaucer, vol. i. p. vi) to
adopt the reading hatel from MSS. Cp. Pt. Ln. instead of hateful, is
founded on a mistake. The expression is contradictory, but it is so
intentionally. ' Poverty is a gift which its possessors hate ' is, of course,
the meaning. Dryden well explains it : —
'Want is a bitter and a hateful good.
Because its virtues are not understood.'
1196. This translates 'remotio curarum.'
1197. This translates 'sapientie reparatrix,' not 'repertrix.'
1199. elenge, miserable, hard to bear. Elenge is also spelt alenge,
alhige, alange ; see Alange in the New English Dictionary, though
the proper form is rather aletige. It is a derivative of the intensive
A. S. prefix ce and lenge, a secondary form of lang, long ; so that A. S.
alenge meant protracted, tedious, wearisome, as in Alfred's tr. of
Boethius, xxxix. 4. But it was confused with the M. E. eletid, strange,
foreign, and so acquired the sense of * strange ' as well as ' trying ' or
'miserable.' See Ely?ige in the Gl. to P. Plowman, and the note to
P. PI. C. i. 204 ; also Matzner's note to the Land of Cokayne, 1. 15.
1200. This line translates 'possessio absque calumnia.' The E.
challenge is, in fact, derived from calumnia, through Old French.
1202. Understand hitn : 'maketh (him) know his God and himself;
see Dryden's paraphrase. Against this line, in the margin of MS. E.,
322 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group D.
is written : — * Unde et Crates ille Thebanus, proiecto in mari non
paruo auri pondcre, Abite (inquit) pessime male cupiditates ! Ego uos
mergam, ne ipse mergar a uobis.' Probably Chaucer once intended to
introduce this story into the text. It relates, apparently, to Crates of
Thebes, the Cynic philosopher, who flourished about is. C. 320.
1203. spectacle, i.e. an optic glass, a kind of telescope. In the
modem sense, the word was used in the plural, as at present. From
Lydgate's London Lickpenny, st. 7, we learn that ' spectacles to reede *
was, in his time, one of the cries of London. Qi.prospectyves, i.e. per-
spective glasses, in F. 234. Chaucer is here thinking of a passage in
Le Roman de la Rose, where the E. version (1. 5551) has : —
* For infortune makith anoon
To knowe thy freendis fro thy foon.'
This, again, is from Boethius, bk. ii. pr. 8. 22-33. Compare Chaucer's
poem on Fortune, 11. 9, 32, 34, and my notes upon these lines ; vol. i.
PP- 383, 544-
1208. See note to 1. 1276 below ; and cf. D. i.
1210. Compare C. 743, and the note.
1215. For also, Tyrwhitt reads also so, against all authority, as he
admits. The text is right as it stands. Eld-e is dissyllabic, the final
e being preserved by the caesura ; and also means no more than ' so.'
I suspect this is quoted from some French proverb. Dryden alters
'filth' to 'ugliness.'
1224. repair, great resort, viz. of visitors.
1234. ' I care not which of the two it shall be.' Cf. Gower, Conf.
Amantis, i. 103 :—
' Chese for us bothe, I you praie,
And what as ever that ye sale.
Right as ye woUe, so wol I.
My lord, she saide, grauntmercy.
For of this word that ye now sain,
That ye have made me soverein.
My destine is overpassed'; (S:c.
1260. toverbyde, to over-bide, to outlive. Tyrwhitt substitutes to
overlive, from the black-letter editions. Gra-ce is dissyllabic.
1261. shorte, shorten ; see D. 365.
The Friar's Prolog:ue.
1276. aucioriiees \ a direct reference to 1. 1208 above. This goes
. / far to show that the Friar's Tale was written immediately after
the Wife's Tale. The Friar says, quite truly, that the Wife's Tale
contains passages not unlike ' school-matter,' or disquisitions in the
schools. Such a passage is that in 11. 1 109-1212. Tyrwhitt shews that
auctoritas was the usual word applied to a text of scripture ; Bell
adds, that it was applied, as now, to afty authority for a statement.
/ We might very well translate auctoritees by ' quotations,'
LI.K03-323.] THE FRERES TALE. 323
1284. jnandemeftts, 'citations, or summonses, addressed to those
accused of breaches of the canons, to appear and answer in the arch-
deacon's court ' ; Bell. Hence the name somnour, i. e. a server of
summonses.
1285. tonnes ende (whence the name To-cvnscnd) ; we should now
say, 'at the entry to every town'; cf. 1. 1537. The Somnour was
often opposed with violence, and was a very unpopular character.
1294. The limiters had to cultivate the art of flattery, because they
lived by begging from house to house.
*:ic* After this line all the MSS. (except HI.) wrongly insert lines
1307, 1308 (on p. 359). Perhaps the poet himself introduced these
lines here at first, and afterwards perceived how much better they
came in after 1. 1306. It is not an important matter.
1296. MS. HI. has :— ' Our host answerd and sayd the sompnour
this '; which cannot be right.
The Freres Tale.
With respect to the source of this Tale, see vol. iii. p. 450.
1300. erchedeken. As to the duties of the archdeacon, here de-
scribed, compare A. 655, 658. He enforced discipline by threats of
excommunication, and inflicted fines for various offences. Compare
Wyclif's Works, ed. Arnold, iii. 166.
1305. I.e. he punished church-reeves if they did ill, and all cases in
which wills or contracts had been wantonly violated. ' Lakke of
sacraments ' refers, chiefly, to the neglect of the precept to communi-
cate at Easter ; also to neglect of baptism, and, possibly, of matri-
mony, as that was also a ' sacrament ' in the church of our fathers.
1307-8. These two lines occur here in MS. HI. only; see note to
1294 above.
1309. Usury was prohibited by the Canon Law ; cf. P. Plowman,
C. vii. 239.
1314. ' No fine could save the accused from punishment.'
1315. ' The neglect to pay tithes and Easter offerings came under
the archdeacon's jurisdiction, as the bishop's diocesan officer. The
friar does not scruple to make an invidious use of this subject at the
expense of the parochial clergy, because, being obliged by his rule to
gain his livelihood by begging, he had no interest in tithes.' — Bell.
1317. Alluding to the shape of the bishop's crosier. In P. Plowman,
C. xi. 92, the crosier is described as having a hook at one end, by
which he draws men back to a good life, and a spike at the other,
which he uses against hardened offenders. On the crosier, see Rock,
Church of Our Fathers, ii. 181. The bishop dealt with such offenders
as were contumacious to the archdeacon.
1321. For the character of a Somnour, see A. 623.
1323. espiaille, set of spies ; see note to B. 2509, p. 213.
Y 2
324 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group d.
1324. taughte^ informed ; the final e is not elided.
1327. wood lucre, should be, were to be as mad as a hare. See
* As mad as a March hare' in Ilazlitt's Proverbs.
1329. The mendicant orders were subject only to their own general
or superior, not to the bishops. In the piece called Jack Upland (§ 1 1),
Jack asks the friars — 'Why be ye not vndcr your bishops visitations,
and leegemen to our king?' — British Poets, ed. Chalmers, l8io; i. 567.
1331. terme, i.e. during the term.
1332. Petc7-, by saint Peter. 'The summoncr's repartee is founded
upon the law by which houses of ill-fame were exempted from ecclesias-
tical interference, and licensed.' — Bell. ' Stewes, are those places which
were permitted in England to women of professed incontinency . . .
But king Henry VIII., about the year 1546, prohibited them for ever.'
— Cowel's Interpreter. Cock Lane, Smithfield, contained such houses ;
see my notes to P. Plowman, C. vii. 366, 367.
1343. approwotirs, agents, men who looked after his profits. From
the O . Fr. approzier, apprower, to cause to profit, to enrich ; from the
O. Fr. sb. proti, profit, whence also E. prowess. Miswritten as
approver in the seventeenth century, though distinct from approve (from
approbare). See the New Eng. Dictionary. Tyrwhitt has the spelling
approvers,
1347. Cristes curs, i. e. excommunication.
1849. atie nale, put for atten ale, lit. at the ale, where ale is put for
'ale-house.' Atien is for A. S. cet thain, where tham is the dat. neut.
of the def. article. The expression is common; as in 'fouhten atten
ale,' fought at the ale-house, P. Plowman, C. i. 43 ; * with ydel tales
atte tiale^ id. C. viii. 19. ' Thou hast not so much charity in thee as to
goe to the Ale with a Christian'; Two Gent, of Verona, ii. v. 61. So
also atte noke, for aite7t oke, at the oak ; see note to P. PI. C. vii. 207.
1350. See John, xii. 6 ; and cf. the Legend of Judas Iscariot, printed
(from MS. Harl. 2277) in Early Eng. Poems, ed. Furnivall, 1862;
p. 107.
1352. diietee (Cp. dewcte) is trisyllabic; see 1. 1391. It is a coined
word, having no Latin equivalent. The spelling dtiete occurs, in
Anglo-French, in the Liber Albus, p. 211, I. 23.
1356. Sir Robert ; the title of Sir was usually given to one of the
secular clergy ; cf. note to B. 4000, p. 248.
1364. /«>, her ; so in E. Hn., but other MSS. have thee. The
reading given is the better. The Somnour fined the man, but let the
woman go ; and then said that he let her go out of friendship for
the man. This is intelligible ; but the reading thee gives no sense
to the words _/&r thy sake.
1365. * You need not take any more trouble in this matter.'
1367. brybery-es (four syllables), i. e. modes of robbery. So in MSS.
Hn. Cm. Cp. MSS. HI. Pt. Ln. have bribotirs, which will not scan,
unless (as in HI.) we also read Ccrteitily, giving a line defective in the
first foot. Tyrwhitt inserts inatiy before mo, to fill up the line.
LI. 1324-408.] THE FRERES TALE. 325
1369. dogge for the boive, a dog used to accompany an archer, to
follow up a stricken deer ; see the next line. The docility of such
a dog is alluded to in E. 2014.
1373. 'And, because such acquaintance brought him in the chief
part of all his income.'
1377. ribybe. In 1. 1 573, she is called 'an old rebckke.^ So in
Skelton's Elinour Rummyng, 1. 492 : — ' There came an old rybybe.''
And Ben Jonson speaks of ' some good ribibe . . . you would hang now
for a witch '; The Devil is an Ass, i. i. 16. But probably Skelton and
Ben Jonson merely took the word from Chaucer. A ribybe was,
properly, a two-stringed Moorish fiddle ; see note to A. 3331. GifTord's
note on the passage in Ben Jonson, says : — ' Ribibe, together with its
synonym rebeck, is merely a cant term for an old woman. A ribibe,
the reader knows, is a rude kind of a fiddle, and the allusion is,
probably, to the inharmonious nature of its sounds.* Halliwell suggests
some (improbable) confusion between vetula and viiula.
I suspect that this old joke, for such it clearly is, arose in a very
different way, viz. from a pun upon rcbckke, a fiddle, and Rebekke,
a married woman, from the mention of Rebecca in the marriage-service.
For Chaucer himself notices the latter in E. 1704, which see. Observe
that the form 7-ebekke, as applied to the fiddle, is a corrupt one, though
it is found in other languages. See rebebe in Godefroy's O. F.
Dictionary, and 7-ebec in Littre.
1378. Cattse and tuolde are dissyllabic ; and brybe, to rob, is a verb.
But the editors ignore such elementary facts. The old editions insert
haue a before brybe ; and the modern editions insert han a ; which, as
Wright observes, is not to be found in the MSS !
1381. See A. 103, 104, 108 ; and, for couricpy, A. 290.
1382. hadde iipon, had on ; cf. D. 559, 1018.
1384. ' Well overtaken, well met.' So in Partonope of Elois, 6390 :
* Syr, wele atake \ ' Cf. G. 556.
1394. for the fiatne, because of the disgrace attaching to the very
name. The Friar is severe.
1405. sworn-e, a plural form ; the word sworn being here used
adjectivally. See note to A. 1 132, p. 66.
1408. veniin, spite, wariajigles, shrikes. According to C. Swain-
son (Provincial Names of British Birds), this is the Red-backed Shrike
[Laniiis colli/rio), called in Yorkshire the Weirangle or Wariangle.
Some make it the Great Grey Shrike {Lanitis excubitor). Thus Ray,
in his Provincial Words, ed. 1674, p. 83, gives warringle as a name
for the Great Butcher-bird in the Peak of Derbyshire. ' This Bird,*
says Willughby, ' in the North of England is called Wieraitgle, a name,
it seems, common to us with the Germans, who (as Gesner witnesseth)
about Strasburg, Frankfort, and elsewhere, call it Werkaiigel or
Warkafigel, perchance (saith he) as it were Wiirchaugel, which
literally rendered signifies " a suffocating angel." ' So also, the mod. G.
name is Wiirgengel, as if from wiirgen and Engel. But this is a form
326 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [ Group D.
due to popular etymology, as will presently appear. Cotgrave has
* Pie cngroucc', a Wariangle, or a small Woodpecker ' ; but a wariangle
is really a Shrike ; indeed Cotgrave also has : * Arncaf, the ravenous
birde called a Shrike, Nynmurder, Wariangle'; which is correct. In
the Wars of Alexander, ed. Skeat, 1. 1706, the word wayrynglc occurs
as a term of abuse, signifying 'a little villain'; this is probably the
same word, and answers to a dimin. form of A. S. wearg (Icel. vargr,
O. H. G. warg, ware), a felon, with the suffix -incel, as seen in A. S.
rdp-tncel, a little rope, hfis-ificel, a little house. Bradley cites, as
parallel forms, the O. H. G. warchengil (see below), and the M. L. G.
ivargiftgel, which are probably formed in a similar way. The epithet
'little felon' or * little murderer' agrees with other names for the
shrike, viz. 'butcher-bird,' ' murdering-bird,' 'nine-murder,' 'nine-
killer,' so called because it impales beetles and small birds on thorns,
for the purpose of pulling them to pieces. This is why I take veniiii
to mean 'spite' rather than ' poison ' in this passage.
Schmeller, in his Bavarian Diet., ii. 999, says that the Lanius
exctibito)- is called, in O. H. G. glosses, Warchengel (G/'aff, i. 349) ;
also IVargengel, IVurgengei, and IViirgcr.
1413. norlh coniree. This is a sly joke, because, in the old
Teutonic mythology, hell was supposed to be in the north. Wright
refers us, for this belief, to his .St. Patrick's Purgatory. See my note
to P. Plowman, C. ii. in, about Lucifer's sitting in the norih; cf.
Isaiah, xiv. 13, 14; Milton, P. L. v. 755-760; Myrour of our Lady,
ed. Blunt, p. 189. In the Icelandic Gylfaginning, we find — 'ni^r ok
nor^r liggr Helvegr,' i.e. downwards and northwards lies the way to
hell. Cf. 1. 1448.
1428. laborous is right ; offyc-e is trisyllabic.
1436. A proverbial expression ; still in use in Lancashire and else-
where ; see N. and O., 7 S. x. 446, 498. Cf. 'a taker and a bribing
[robbing] feloe, and one for whom nothing was to hottc nor to heaide'
Udall, tr. of Erasmus' Apophthegmes ; Cicero, § 50.
' Their loues they on the tenter-hookes did racke,
Rost, boyl'd, bak'd, too too much white, claret, sacke,
Nothing they thought too heaiiy nor too hot,
Canne followed Canne, and pot succeeded pot.'
John Taylor ; Pennilesse Pilgrimage.
Of course the sense is — ' too hot to hold.' Tyrwhitt quotes a similar
phrase from Froissart, v. i. c. 229, ' ne laissoient riens a prendre, s'il
n'estoit trop chatid, trop froid, ou trap pcsant'
1439. 'Were it not for my extortion, I could not live.'
1451. 'What I can thus acquire is the substance of all my income.'
See note to A. 256 ; and Feck in the New Eng. Dictionary.
1456. Read ben' cite ; and observe the rime : prey-e, Scy ye. Pro-
nounce : fprci'yo, sei'yo), where (a) represents the obscure vowel, or
the a in China.
LI. 1413-538.] THE FRERES TALE. 327
1459. Such questions were eagerly discussed in the middle ages ; see
1. 1461-5.
1463. make y 01V seme^ make it seem to you. Tyrvvhitt has wette (for
seme), which occurs in MS. Cp. only.
1467. iogelou}\ juggler ; for their tricks, see F. 1 143. Wright says : —
* The jflgelotir {jflctdaior) was originally the minstrel, and at an earlier
period was an important member of society. He always combined
mimicry and mountebank performances with poetry and music. In
Chaucer's time he had so far degenerated as to have become a mere
mountebank, and as it appears, to have merited the energetic epithet
here applied to him.' Cf. my note to P. Plowman, C. xvi. 207.
1472. Read abP is. MS. HI. has : — 'As most abil is our-e pray to
take.' Cf. F. habile, for which Cotgrave gives one meaning as ' apt
unto anything he undertakes.'
1476. pjyme, 9 A. M., a late time with early risers. See note to
B. 4045, p. 250.
1483-91. Cf. Boeth. bk. iv. pr. 6. 62-71 ; Job, i. 12; ii. 6.
1502. I suspect this to be an allusion to a story similar to that entitled
*A Lay of St. Dunstan' in the Ingoldsby Legends.
1503. This probably alludes to some of the legends about the apostles.
Thus, in The Lives of Saints, ed. Horstmann, p. 36, 1. 72, some fiends
arc represented as doing the will of St. James the Greater ; and in the
same, p. 368, 1. 50, a fiend says of St. Bartholomew : — ' He mai do with
us al that he wole, for bi-neothe him we beoth.' Cf. Acts, xi.x. 15.
1508. ' The adoption of the bodies of the deceased by evil spirits in
their wanderings upon earth, was an important part of the medieval
superstitions of this country, and enters largely into a variety of
legendary stories found in the old chroniclers.'^ Wright. Bell quotes
from Hamlet, ii. 2 : — ' The spirit that I have seen May be the devil,' &c.
1509. ixiiably, reasonably. The A. F. form of ' reasonable ' was
resnablc (as in the Life of Edw. the Confessor, 1. 1602) ; and, by the
law that s became silent before /, ;//, and n (as in isle, blasmer, disner,
E. isle, blame, dine), this became I'enable. See note to P. Plowman,
C. i. 176.
1510. Phitottissa ; this is another spelling oipyihonissa, which is the
word used, in the Vulgate version of 1 Chron. x. 13, with reference to
the witch of Endor. In i Sam. xxviii. 7, the phrase is mulier pythonetn
habens. The witch of Endor is also called pliitonesse in Gower, Conf.
Amant. bk. iv, ed. Pauli, ii. 66 ; Barbour's Bruce, iv. 753 ; Skelton's
Phihp Sparowe, 1. 1345 ; Lydgate's Falls of Princes, bk. ii. leaf xl, ed.
Wayland ; Gawain Douglas, prol. to the /Eneid, ed. Small, ii. 10, 1. 2 ;
and in Sir D. Lyndesay's Monarche, bk. iv. 1. 5842. And see Hous of
Fame, 1261. Cf. ivviv\xa Xlvduivo';, Acts, xvi. 16.
1518. ill a chayer rede, lecture about this matter as in a professorial
chair, lecture like a professor; cf. 1. 1638. The fiend is satirical.
1519. Referring to Vergil's yEneid, bk. vi, and Dante's Inferno.
1528. This much resembles A. 1 132, q. v.
328 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group d.
1541. for luhich, for wliich reason ; stood, stood still, was stuck fast.
1543. In Brand's Topular Antiquities, cd. Kllis, ii. 15, ^ Heit or
Heck' is mentioned as being 'a well-known interjection used by the
country people to their horses.' Brand adds that * the name of Brok
is still, too, in frequent use amongst farmers' draught oxen.' In the
Towneley Mysteries, p. 9, is the exclamation ^hyte\ ' The word for
* stop ! ' was ' /io[' like the modern -w/ioa ! This explains a line in
Gascoigne's Dan Bartholmew of Bathe, ed. Hazlitt, i. 136: — 'His
thought sayd haight, his sillie speache cryed ho' Bell notes that
' Ilayt is still the word used by waggoners in Norfolk, to make their
horses go on'; and adds— ' ^r^iyi' means a badger, hence applied to
a gray horse, viyne owene lyard boy (1. 1563). Scot is a common
name for farm-horses in East-Anglia ; as in A. 616.' In the Towneley
Mysteries, p. 9, names of oxen are Malle, Stoit (doubtless miswritten
for Scott), Lonyng, Morel/c, and White-home. The Craven Glossary
says hyte is used to turn horses to the left ; whilst the Ger. hott ! or
hottot ! is used to turn them to the right. In Shropshire, 'ait or 'eet,
said to horses, means 'go from me'; see Waggoners' Words in Miss
Jackson's Shropsh. Wordbook.
1548. MS. HI. has— 'her schal we se play.' Tyrwhitt has fray,
which gives a false rime, for it should be prey-e\ see 1. 1455, and the
note to 1. 1456. The six MSB. all have aplcy.
1559. ihakkcth (pronounced thakk'th) his hors, pats, or strokes his
horses ; to encourage them. From A. S. paccian, to stroke (a horse),
Gregory's Pastoral Care, ed. Sweet, p. 303, 1. 10. So also in A. 3304.
(Not to thwack, or ivhack.)
1560. I adopt the reading of MSS. E. and Hn. MSS. Cm. Pt. Ln.
have : — * And they bigunne to drawe and to stoupe,' which throws an
awkward accent on the former to. MS. HI. has : — 'And thay bygon
to drawen and to stowpe.' But I take to-stoupe to be a compound
verb, with the sense 'stoop forward'; though I can find no other
example of its use. Being uncommon, it would easily have been
resolved into two words, and this would necessitate the introduction
of to before drawen. Bigomie usually takes to after it, but not
always ; cf. ' lapen tho bigan,' B. 1883.
1563. twight, pulled, lit. * twitched.' ' Liard, a common appellative
for a horse, from \\.s grey colour, as bayard \v?ls from bay (see A. 41 15).
See P. Plowman, C. xx. 64 [and my note on the same]. Bp. Douglas,
in his Virgil, usually puts Hart for albus, incanus, &c.' — T. Other
names of horses are, Faveliox a chestnut, Dun for a dun horse, Ferrand
for an iron-gray, and Morel, i. e. mulberry-coloured, for a roan.
1564. I give the reading of MSS. Hn. Cp. Pt, Ln., and of the
black-letter editions. MS. HI. has ' I pray god saue thy body and
seint loy' ; for which Cm. has 'the body,' as if 'the' were the original
reading, and ' body ' a supplied word. I take se-ynt to be dissyllabic,
as in A. 120, 509, 697, D. 604. As to seiiit Loy, the patron-saint
of goldsmiths, farriers, smiths, and carters, see note to A. 1 20.
LL 1541630] THE FRERES TALE. 329
1568. Cf. Rom. de la Rose, 10335-6 : 'car ge fesoie Une chose, et
autre pensoie.'
1570. Jip07i cartage, by way of quitting my claim to this cart and
team ; a satirical reflection on his failure to win anything by the
previous occurrence. Cariagc was a technical term for a service of
carrying, or a payment in lieu of it, due from a tenant to his landlord
or feudal superior; see the New Eng. Dictionary, s. v. Carriage, I. 4.
The landlord used to claim the use of the tenant's horses and carts
for his own service, without payment for the use of them ; and the
tenant could only get off by paying cariage. This difficult use of
the word is exemplified by two other passages in Chaucer, one of which
is in the Cant. Tales, I. 752 ; q. v. The other is in his Boethius,
bk. i. pr. 4, 1. 50, where he says : — ' The poepic of the provinces ben
harmed outher by privee ravynes, or by comune tributes or cariages^
where the Lat. text has tccctigalibus.
1573. rcbckke, old woman; lit. Rebecca; see note to 1. 1377 above.
1576. Twelve pence was a considerable sum in those days ; being
equivalent to something like fifteen shillings of our present money.
1580. li'Zfme thy cost, earn your expenses.
1582. viritraie, a term of contempt for an old woman. Cf. ' thou
olde irot^ addressed to an old woman ; Thersites, in Hazlitt's Old
Plays, i. 415. Jamieson gives b-at, an old woman ; with three
examples from G. Douglas. Levins (1570J has : ' Tratte, atius.'
1591. luisly, certainly. I ne may, I cannot (come).
1593. go, walk; as usual, when used with ryde.
1595. axe a libel, apply to have a written declaration of the com-
plaint against me, i.e. a copy of the indictment.
1596. procutour, proctor, to appear on my behalf. Only MS. HI.
has the full iorm p7-ocieralour ; the rest \\di\& proctilour or procalour, as
suitable for the metre. These forms are interesting, as furnishing
the intermediate step between procurator and proctor. So, in the
Prompt. Parv., we find ' proketowre, Procurator^ and ' prokecye, Pro-
curacia '; whence, by loss of e, proctor and proxy, there is dis-
syllabic, as in A. 3165, and frequently,
1613. Seintc Anne, saint Anna, whose day is July 26. In Luke, ii.
36, is mentioned ' Anna the prophetess.' At the commencement of the
apocryphal gospel of Mar)', we are told that the virgin's ' father's name
was Joachim, and her mother's Anna.' This is the saint Anna here
alluded to. See B. 641 ; G. 70; and Cursor Mundi, 1. 10147. Hence
it became a common practice to give a girl the name of Mary Ann,
which combined the name of the virgin with that of her mother.
1617. I payde, and which I paid.
1618. lixt, liest ; a common form; see P. Plowman, C. vii. 138 (B.v.
163) ; Plowman's Crede, 542.
1630. stot, properly a stallion (as in A. 615), or a bullock; also
applied, as in the Cleveland Glossary, to an old ox. Here it clearly
means ' old cow,' as a term of abuse.
330 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group d.
1635. by right \ because the old woman really meant it; cf.
1. 1568.
1644. leve, grant. Tyrwhitt wrongly has lene, lend. The differ-
ence between these two words, which are constantly confused (being
written Ictie, lene, often indistinguishably is explained in my note to
P. Plowman, 15. v. 263. Leiie (grant, permit) is usually followed by
a dependent clause ; but lene (lend, grant, give) by an accusative
case.
1647. I supply atid to fill up the line. This and appears in all the
modern editions, but ivitJiout authority, ajid without any notice that
the MSS. omit it. Yet it neither appears in any one of our seven MSS.
nor in MSS. Dd., li., or Mm. Neither does it appear in the black-letter
editions. Indeed MS. E. marks the scansion thus : After the text of
Crist I Poul [ and John ; as if the word ' Poul ' occupied a whole foot
of the verse. And I can readily believe that the line was meant to be
so scanned.
1657. See Ps. x. 9. sit, short for sitteth.
1661. See i Cor. x. 13. over, above, beyond.
1662. For Christ as a 'knight,' see P. Plowman, C. xxi. 11 ; Ancren
Riwle, p. 390.
1663. For Somnours, several MSS. have Somnour. MS. Cm. is
defective; MS. Dd. supports the reading which I have given. It is
immaterial, as thise Somnours includes the particular Somnour who
was one of the party.
The Sompnour's Prologue.
1676. The words of St. Paul, 2 Cor. xii. 4, have suggested numerous
accounts of revelations made to saints regarding heaven and hell. In
Bede's Eccl. Historj', bk. iii. c. 19, we are told how St. Furseus saw
a vision of hell ; so also did St. Guthlac, as related in his life, cap. 5.
A long vision of purgatory is recounted in the Revelation to the Monk
of Evesham, ed. Arber ; and another in the account of St. Patrick's
Purgatory, in the Lives of Saints, ed. Horstmann. Long descriptions
of hell are common, as in the Cursor Mundi, 1. 23195, and Hampole's
Pricke of Conscience, 1. 6464. But the particular story to which Chaucer
here alludes is, probably, not elsewhere extant.
1688. Possibly Chaucer was thinking of the wings of Lucifer, greater
than any sails, as described in Dante's Inferno, xxxiv. 48 ; whence
also Milton speaks of Satan's ' sail-broad vans,' P. L. ii. 927. A carrik
or carrack is a large trading-ship, and we have here the earliest known
example of the use of the word in English ; see Carrack in the New
Eng. Dictionary.
1690-1. Cf. Rom. of the Rose, 7577-8 ; in vol. i. p. 257.
1695. Line 2119 of the House of Fame is: 'Twenty thousand
in a route'; here we have the same line with the addition oi /reres.
LI. 1635 728-1 THE SOMNOURS TALE. 331
Both lines are cast in the same mould, both being deficient in the first
foot. Thus the scansion is: Twen ty thou j sand, &c. In order to
conceal this fact, Tyrwhitt reads : 'A twenty thousand,' &c., against
all authority ; but Wright, Bell, Morris, and Oilman all allow the line
to stand as Chaucer wrote it, and as it is here given. The black-letter
editions do the same. It is a very small matter that all the copies
except E. have on for 7/1 ; as the words are equivalent, I keep t'n
(as in E.), because in is the reading in the Hous of Fame.
The Somnours Tale.
For further remarks about this Tale, see vol. iii. p. 452.
It is principally directed against the Frere ; see the description of
him in the Prologue, A. 208.
1710. Holderness is an extremely flat district ; it lies at the S. E.
angle of Yorkshire, between Hull, Driffield, Bridlington and Spurn
Point: see the Holderness Glossary, E. D. S. 1877. We find that
Chaucer makes no attempt here, as in the Reeve's Tale, to imitate the
Yorkshire dialect.
1712. to preche. The friars were popular preachers of the middle
ages. They were to live by begging, and were therefore often called
the Mendicant Orders; see 1. 1912, and the notes to A. 208, 209.
The friar of our story was a Carvieliie ; see note to 1. 21 16.
1717. irenials. A (rental (from Low Lat. irentale, O. F. trentel)
was an office of thirty masses, to be said on so many consecutive days,
for the benefit of souls in purgatory. It also meant, as here, the sum
paid for the same to the priest or frjar. See Wyclif's Works, ed.
Arnold, iii. 299, 374; ed. Matthew (E. E. T. S.) pp. 211, 516; and
the poem entitled St. Gregory^'s Trental, in Religious, Political, and
Love Poems, ed. Fumivall, p. Z},.
1722. possessioners. This term seems to have been applied (i) to
the regular orders of monks who possessed landed property, and (2) to
the beneficed clergy\ I think there is here particular reference to the
latter, as indicated by the occurrence oi preest in 1. 1727, curat in
1816, and viker and persone in 1. 2008. The friars, on the contrary,
were supposed to have no endowments, but to subsist entirely upon
alms ; they contrived, howe%'er, to evade this restriction, and in
Pierce the Plowman's Crede, there is a description of a Dominican
convent built with considerable splendour. I take the expression
'Thanked be god' in 1. 1723 to be a parenthentical remark made by
the Somnour who tells the stor)', as it is hardly consistent with the
views of the friars. As to the perpetual jealousies between the friars
and the possessioners, see P. Plowman, B. v. 144.
1728. It was usual (as said in note to 1. 1717) to sing the thirty
masses on thirty consecutive days, as Chaucer here remarks. But the
friar says they are better when 'hastily y-songe'; and it would appear
332 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group d.
that the friars used occasionally to sing all the thirty masses in one
day, and so save a soul from twenty-nine days of purgatory ; cf. 11.
1729, 1732. In English Gilds, ed. Toulmin Smith, p. 8, we have an
example of this. The wardens are there directed to summon the
Minorite Friars to say the dirge, 'and on the vwnve to seie a trcnt of
masses atte same freres.'
In Jack Upland, § 13, we find : ' Why make ye [freres] men
belceue that your golden trentall sung of you, to take therefore ten
shillings, or at least fine shillings, woll bring souls out of hell, or out
of purgatorie ? '
1730. oules. The M. E. forms oule, oivel, owul, as well as A. S.
aiuul, awel, are various spellings of E. awl, which see in the New Eng.
Diet. Hence oules means awls or piercing instruments. In the Life
cf St. Katherine, 1. 2178, the tormentors torture the saint with 'eawles
of irne,' i.e. iron awls. In Horstmann's South-English Legendary (E. E.
T. S.), St. Blase is tormented with ' oules kene,' which tore his flesh as
when men comb wool (p. 487, 1. 84) ; hence he became the patron saint of
wool-combers. Similar tortures were applied by fiends in the medieval
descriptions of hell. See Ancren Riwle, p. 212 ; St. Brandan, ed.
Wright, pp. 22, 48.
* There are the furies tossing damned souls
On burning forks.'
Marlowe, Faustus, Act v. sc. 4.
1734. qui cum paire. ' This is part of the formula with which
prayers and sermons are still sometimes concluded in the Church of
England.' — Bell. In a sermon for Ascension Day, in Morris's O. E.
Homilies, ii. 1 1 5, we have at the end an allusion, in English, to Christ,
after which follows : — ' qui cum patre et spiritu sancto uiuit et regnat
per omnia secula seculorum.' Such was the usual formula.
1740. The friars often begged in pairs ; in this way, each was a check
upon the other as regarded the things thus obtained. In Jack Upland,
§ 23, we find the friars are asked: — 'What betokeneth that ye goe
tweine and tweine togither ? ' Langland tells us how he met two friars ;
see P. Plowman, C. xi. 8.
1741. tables, writing tablets. In Horman's Vulgaria, leaf 81, we
read : — ' Tables be made of leues of yuery, boxe, cyprus, and other
stoufife, daubed with waxe to wrytte on.' And again, in the same : —
' Poyntellis of yron, and poyhtyllis of syluer, bras, boon, or stoone.'
This is a survival of the use of the Roman waxed tablet and stilus.
1743. Jack Upland (§ 20) asks the friar : — ' Why writest thou hir
names in thy tables that yeueth thee mony ? * The usual reason was,
that the donors might be prayed for ; see 1. 1745. Cf. 1. 1752.
1745. Ascaunces, as if, as though, as if to promise. In G. 838, q. v.,
it means ' you might suppose that,' or ' possibly.' In Troilus, i. 205, it
means 'as if to say'; Boccaccio's Italian has quasi dicesse. It also
occurs in Troilus, i. 292 ; Lydgate, Fall of Princes, fol. 136 b (Tyrwhitt);
L1.I730-551 THE SOMNOURS TALE. 333
Tale of Beryn, 1797; Palladius on Husbandry, vi. 39; Sidney's
Arcadia, ed. 1622, p. 162 ; and in Gascoigne's Works, ed. Hazlitt, i. 113,
where the marginal note has ' as who should say.' See the New Eng.
Dictionary, where the etymology is said to be unknown.
I have since found that it is a hybrid compound. The first part of
it is E. as, used superflously and tautologically ; the latter part of it is
the O. F. qtcanses, ' as if,' first given in a dictionary by Godefroy in 1889,
with six examples, and three other spellings, viz. qanscs, quatnses, and
queinsi. Godefroy refers us to Romania, xviii. 152, and to Foersler's
edition of Cliges, note to 1. 4553. Kilian gives Mid. Du. ' qiiantsuys,
quasi'; borrowed from O. French, without any prefix.
1746. Nothing came amiss to tlie friars. They begged for 'corn,
monee, chese,' Sec. ; see Wyclifs Works, ed. Matthew, p. 304. And in
Skelton's Colin Clout, 1. 842, we read of the friars : —
' Some to gather chese ;
Loth they are to lese
Eyther corne or malte ;
Somtyme meale and sake,
Somtyme a bacon-flycke,' &c.
1747. Goddes here translated the French expression de Dieu, mean-
ing ' sent from God.' Tyrwhitt says that the true meaning of de Dieu
* is explained by M. de la Monnoye in a note upon the Contes de D. B.
Periffs, t. ii. p. 107. Be/ie serrure de Dieu: Expression du petit
peuple, qui raporte pieusement tout k Dieu. Rien n'est plus commun
dans la bouche des bonnes vieilles, que ces esp&ces d'H^braismes : //
7)i'efi conte un bel ^cic de Dieu j II ne me resie que ce fauvre enfant de
Dieu. Domtes-fnoi line Unite aumone de Dieu. See geddes halfpeny
in I. 1749. (The explanation by Speght, and in Cowel's Interpreter,
s. V. kichell, seems to be, as Tyrwhitt says, an invention.)
kecltil, a little cake. The form kechell occurs in the Ormulum,
1. 8662 ; answering to the early A. S. coecil, occurring as a gloss to tortiim
in the Kpinal Glossary, 993; diflferent from A.S. cicel (for cycel),
given as cicel in Bosworth's Dictionary. The cognate M. H. G. word is
kiiecheltn (Schade), O. H. G. chuochclni, double dimin. from O. H. G.
kuocho (G. Ktichcfi), a cake ; see Kuchen in Kluge. The E. cake is
a related word, but with a difference in vowel-gradation.
trip, ' a morsel.' * Les tripes d'un fagot, the smallest sticks in a
faggot'; Cotgrave.
1749. masse-peny, a penny for saying a mass. Jack Upland, § 19,
says : — ' Freer, whan thou receiuest a peny for to say a masse, whether
sellest thou Gods body for that peny, or thy prayer, or els thy travell .'' '
1751. '■dagon, a slip, or piece. It is found in Chaucer, Bemers, and
Steevens' Supp. to Dugdale, ii. ap. 370, applied in each instance to
a blanket '; Halliwell. Cf. M. E. dagge, a strip of cloth.
1755. Jiostes man, servant to the guests at the convent. Hoste seems
here to mean ' guest,' which is one of the meanings of O. F. hoste (see
334 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group d.
Cotgrave). This sense is rare in M. E., but it occurs in the Romance
of Merlin, ed. Wheatley, iii. 684, last line but one. Because he ' bare
the bag,' this attendant on the friars was nicknamed Iscariot ; cf. John,
xii. 6. ' Thei leden with hem a Scarioth, stolen fro is eldris by thefte,
to robbe pore men bi beggynge '; Wyclif's Works, ed. Matthew, p. 49.
1768. the gode man, the goodman, or master of the house. MS. HI.
has housbond-inaii, and MSS. Cp. Ln. bonde man ; all with the same
sense, place, house; cf. note to B. 1910; p. 184.
1770. Detis hie, God be here ; ' the ordinary formula of benediction
on entering a house '; Wright.
1775. A fine realistic touch ; the friar made himself quite at home.
1778. go walked, gone on a walk. For go wa/hed, as in all the seven
MSS., Tyrwhitt substitutes y-walkcd, suppressing this characteristic
idiom. See note to C. 406 ; p. 272.
1792. glose, gloss, interpretation, as distinguished from the text.
1794. Cf 2 Cor. iii. 6. In the margin of E., ' Litera occidit, &c.'
1804. Kissing was an ordinary form of salutation.
1810. It was usual, I believe, to use a form of deprecation of this
sort in reply to praise. The sense is — ' but I am aware that I have
defects, and may God amend them.'
1816. curats, parish clergy ; cf note to 1. 1722.
1820. Cf. 'thou shalt catch men'; Luke, v. 10; 'fishers of men,'
Matt. iv. 19; Rom. Rose, (E. version), 7492.
1824. ' Yor (the sake of the) holy Trinity.' Seini-e is feminine.
1825. pisseinyre, ant. Cf. ' as angry as a wasp,' in Heywood's
Proverbs.
1832. le vous dy, I tell you. A common phrase ; see King Ali-
saunder, ed. Weber, 1. 79 ; Rom. of the Rose, 7408 (in vol. i. p. 254).
1834. ire (Lat. ira) is one of the seven deadly sins ; hence the friar's
sermon against it, in 11. 2005-2088.
1842. ' But I hope no animal is ever killed on my account.' A strong
hint that he always expected some special provision to be made for
him.
1845. Cf. John, iv. 34 ; Job, xxiii. 12.
1853. toun, village ; or, precincts of this farm-house.
1857. Visions of saints being carried to heaven are not uncommon.
Bede relates one, of Saint Earcongota ; Eccl. Hist. bk. iii. c. 8.
\^h^. fermerer, the friar who had charge of the infirmary. Put for
enfermerer, from O. Fr. enfennerier (Godefroy). So sXso/ermorie, an
infirmary, in P. PI. B. xiii. 108.
1862. viaken hir Jubilee, keep their jubilee ; i. e. having served fifty
years in the convent, they have obtained certain privileges, one of which
was to go about alone; see note to 1. 1740. Tyrwhitt refers us to
Ducange, s. v. Sejnpectce.
1864. triklittg, so E. Hn. ; Cm. itynkelynge (probably by error) ;
resi trilling. Cf. B. 1864.
1866. ' Nothing but a thanksgiving would have been appropriate for
LI. 1768-934] THE SOMNOURS TALE. 335
a child dying in infancy, of whose translation to paradise the friar pre-
tends that he had seen a vision '; Bell.
1872, burel (Pt. HI. borel) folk, lay folk, the laity. ' The term seems
to have arisen from the material of their clothing, which was not used
by the clergy'; Wright. Cf. borel, in D. 356; borel men, i.e. laymen,
in B. 3145 ; and borel clerkes, lay clerks, learned laymen, in P. Plow-
man, B. X. 286.
1H77. See Luke, xvi. 19, 20.
1880. In the margin of E., ' Melius est animam saginare quam
corpus.' Jean de Meun, in his Testament, 346, says of misers :
'Amegrient leurs ames, plus que leurs cors n'engressent.'
1881. See 1 Tim. vi. 8.
1885. See Exod. xxxiv. 28.
1890. See l Kings, xix. 8.
1894. See Levit. x. 9.
1906. inendinants, mendicant friars. Tyrwhitt has viendiants, but.
In his notes, admits that inendinants is the right reading, as he found
the word to be * constantly so spelled in the Stat. 12 Rich. IL capp. 7,
8, 9, 10.' The same spelling occurs repeatedly in P. Plowman; see
note to P. PI. C. xvi. 3. See Mettdicner, to beg, in Godefroy's O. Fr,
Dictionaiy.
1911. ' The thridde deceyt of thise ordris is that thei passen othere in
preyeris, bothe for tyme thei preyen and for multitude of hem '; Wyclifs
Works, ed. Matthew, p. 317.
1915-7. See note to C. 505 ; p. 278.
1923. See Matt. v. 3. by freres, (1922), concerning friars. Certainly,
there is no ' text ' to this effect ; but the friar trusted to find it /« a maner
glose, in some kind of comment on the text.
1926. An allusion Xo possessioners \ see note to 1. 1722.
1929. lovtnian. I think this is the same Jovinian as is mentioned in
D. 675 ; for Chaucer frequently quotes the treatise by Jerome against
this heretic. Gibbon, in his Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,
ch. 30, refers in a footnote to 'Jovinian, the enemy of fasts and of celibacy,
who was persecuted and insulted by the furious Jerome.' The other
Jovinian was a fabulous Roman emperor, who was awhile deposed, like
Nebuchadnezzar, for his pride and luxury, as related in the Gesta
Romanorum, cap. 59 (or chapter 23 in the English version).
lualkinge as a swan, i. e. with slow and stately gait. Jerome (Contra
lovin. i. 40) calls Jovinian 'isteformosus monachus, crassus, nitidus, et
quasi sp07tsus semper incedens.'
1931. 'AH as full of wine as a bottle in the buttery.'
1932. For grei, ed. 1550 has lytle ; but, as Tyrwhitt remarks, the
expression is ironical.
1933. Davit is put for David, for the rime. MSS. E. Hn. Ln. have
Dauit; Cm. datiith; Cp. HI. dauid; Pt. davyd.
1934. Lo but is the reading of MS. E. But the right reading is
probably btif not but. The readings are ; E. lut; Hn. Cm. Ln. buf;
336 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group d.
Cp. buff\ Pt. bop (wrongly) ; HI. boef\ ed. 1550, bouffe. This gives
the line in the following form : —
Lo, ' buf ! ' they seye, ' cor ineum eructavit ! '
Here the interjectional ' bitf\ ' is probably intended to represent the
sound of eructation. We find baw ! as an interjection of strong con-
tempt in P. Plowman, C. xiii. 74, xxii. 398.
Ps. xlv (xliv in the Vulgate) begins, in Latin, with the words Cormeum
eruciauit uerbum boium ; and the Somnour here takes ertictaidi in
the most literal sense.
1935. fore, path, course ; such is certainly the right reading, as in
D. 110, on which see the note.
1937. See James, i. 22.
1938. at a sours, at a soaring, in her rise, in her upward swoop. The
same word as source of a river ; from F. source, O. F. sorse, the fern,
pp. of the verb which arose from Lat. stirgere. Most likely, this is the
origin of the later souse, v., in the sense ' to swoop downward '; see
Pope, Epilogue to Satires, Dial. ii. 15 ; Sh. K. John, v. 2. 150 ; Spenser,
F. Q. i. 5. 8. See my note on the House of Fame, 1. 544. In the Book
of St. Alban's, fol. di, back, we find : ' Iff your hawke nym the fowle
a-lofte, ye shall say, she toke it at the mount or at the souce'; where
the r is dropped.
1939. /het'r, for the eir, the air ; see footnote.
1943. Sei'nt Vve; see the note to B. 1417 (p. 172), with which this
line entirely coincides.
1944. ' If thou wert not our brother, thou wouldst not fare well' ; see
1. 1951.
1947. iveldcn, wield, have the full use of.
1963-5. These lines are quoted by the friar as (supposed) ejaculations
by Thomas.
1968. In the margin of MS. E., ' Omnis virtus unita fortior est seipsa
dispersa.' Compare the fable in .(tsop about the difficulty of breaking
a bundle of sticks ; and see Boeth. bk. iii. pr. 1 1. 37-40.
1973. See Luke, x. 7. In the margin of MS. E., ' Dignus est
operarius mercede, &c.'
1980. ' In the life of Thomas of India.' For this construction, see
note to F. 209. St. Thomas the apostle is often so called, because he
is said to have preached in India ; and perhaps the tradition is true ;
see my note on P. Plowman, C. xxii. 165, and especially the remarks
in Marco Polo, ed. Yule, ii. 292. Cf. note to E. 1230 (p. 353).
The mention of the ' building up of churches ' refers to a well-known
legend of St. Thomas, who built churches with the money given to him
by King Gondoforus for the purpose of building a palace.
* Churchene he arerde mani on, and preostes he sette there.'
Legends of Saints, ed. Horstmann, p. 381.
The story is prettily told in Mrs. Jameson's Sacred and Legendary
Art.
LI. 1935-3005.] THE SOMNOURS TALE. 337
Cf. * Seyn Tomas of Ynde '; Amis and Amiloun, 758, in Weber, Met.
Rom. ii. 401. So also in The Assumption of our Lady, 775 ; in King
Horn, ed. Lumby, p. 96 ; Political and other Poems, ed. Furnivall,
p. 112, 1. 19, p. 123, 1. 278, p. 139, 1. 735.
How intent the friars were on building fine churches and convents
for their own use, appears from Wyclif's Works, ed. Matthew, pp. 5,
14; Pierce the Plowman's Crede, 191 ; Jack Upland, § 10, and § 33 ;
Skelton's Colin Clout, 936; &c.
1986. * As will be best for thee.' Tyrwhitt has the for thy\ but thy
is right. I find in the New K. Diet., s. v. Best, 8 b, a quotation from
Sir E. Sandys, Europae Speculum (1637), 247 : * I have also, to my best,
avoyded that rashnesse.' Cf. * for your beste,' in B. 2427.
1989. 'Be not as a lion in thy house, nor frantick among thy
servants'; Ecclus. iv. 30. In the margin of ^LS. E. is the Vulgate
version (Ecclus. iv. 35): — 'Noli esse sicut leo in domo tua, euertens
domesticos tuos, et opprimens subiectos tibi.'
1993. hir, her ; so in all the MSS. but Pt., which has //v. Tyrwhitt
has wrongly taken ire as the reading, and Wright and Bell follow him,
without giving any notice that MS. HI. reads hir ! But it makes all the
difference; hir means 'thy wife'; cf. 11. 1994-2004, all of which lines
are robbed of their meaning by this insidious and uncalled-for alteration.
Even ed. 1550 and ed. 1561 have her.
It is easily seen how the error crept in, viz. from confusion with the
friar's sermon against ire ; but that does not really begin till we come
to 1. 2005.
As this passage has been so grossly misunderstood, I annex an
outline of the sense intended. 'Beware of thy wife ; she is like the
snake in the grass ; remember how many men have lost their lives
through their wives. WvX your wM^ is a meek one ; then why strive?
No serpent is so venomous as a provoked woman.' The fact is, that
this passage is imitated from Le Roman de la Rose, 16779, &c., where
the author bids us beware of women, as being like Vergil's ' snake in the
grass.' See next note. With 11. 2001-3 cf. Rom. de la Rose, 9832-6.
1995. Cf. ' latet anguis in herba'; Vergil, Eel. iii. 95. See F. 512,
513. But Chaucer took this at second-hand, viz. from Le Roman de la
Rose, 1. 16793 ; and combined it with another passage from the same,
9832-6, which, in its turn, is copied from Ovid, Ars Amat. ii. 376:—
' Nee breuis ignaro uipera laesa pede Femina quam,' &;c.
2002. tret, short for tredeth, treads. Cm. has trat. Cf. hit, hideth,
F. 512 ; rit, rideth, A. 974 ; &c.
2003. Cf. ' furens quid foemina possit ' ; Vergil, yEn. v. 6.
' Nulla uis flammae tumidique uenti
Tanta, nee teli metuenda torti
Quanta cum coniux uiduata taedis
Ardet et odit.' Seneca, Medea ; iii. 567.
2005. Here begins the sermon against ire. See the Persones Tale,
* * * y
* *
338 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group d.
I. 533. oon, Sec, ' one of the chief of the seven Deadly Sins ' ; all of
which are described in the Persones Tale ; see I. 387.
After 1. 2004, MS. HI. has two spurious lines, for which see the
footnote. It is probable, however, that they are reminiscences of two
(fefiii/fie lines ; for they occur in Le Rom. de la Rose, 16536-8. There
are two more such after 1. 2012, where the sense oi grate is not obvious.
2007. himself, i.e. the sinner. See Pers. Tale, I. 557.
2009. ho7nicyde\ see this, in full, in the Pers. Tale, I. 564-579.
2010. 'Ire comth of pryde'; I. 534.
2017. ' /'^V^j/«/, a chief magistrate ' ; Halliwell. '/"tf^/lj^/rt, a potestate,
a mayor ' ; Florio. See Malory, Morte Arth. bk. v. c. 8.
2018. Sefiek, Seneca. The story is given in Seneca's De Ira, i. 16,
beginning : — ' Cn. Piso fuit memoria nostra, uir a multis uitiis integer,
sed prauus,' &c. It ends : — ' Constituti sunt in eodem loco perituri
tres, ob unius innocentiam.' This Piso was a governor of Syria under
Tiberius. Precisely the same story is told, of the emperor Heraclius,
in the Gesta Romanorum, cap. cxl. Warton gravely describes it in the
words — 'The emperor Eraclius reconciles (!) two knights.'
2030-1. Wright says these two lines are not in Tyrwhitt, but he is
mistaken. His note was meant to refer to the spurious lines (in MS.
HI.) after 1. 2037 ; the former of which is repeated from 1. 2030,
2043. 'This story is also in Seneca, De Ira, lib. iii. c. 14. It differs
a little from one in Herodotus, lib. iii.' [capp. 34, 35].^Tyrwhitt.
Seneca's story begins : — * Cambysen regem nimis deditum uino
Praexaspes unus ex carissimis monebat.'
2048. Here MS. HI. inserts two more spurious lines, for the fourth
time ; see the footnote.
2061. MSS. E. Hn. Cp. Ln. Dd. all insert /«/, which is necessary to
the rhythm. MSS. Pt. HI. omit it, and actually read dronk-e (!), with
an impossible final e. Tyrwhitt has dranke, omitting////, and even
Wright, Bell, and Morris have dronk-e, with the same omission.
Owing to the carelessness of scribes, who often added an idle final e,
such forms as dranke, dronke are not very astonishing. But it would
be very curious to know how these editors scanned this line.
2075. Placebo. ' The allusion is to an anthem in the Romish church,
from Ps. cxvi. 9, which in the Vulgate [Ps. cxiv. 9] stands thus :
Placebo Domino in regione tcitioriim. Hence the complacefit brother
in the Marchanfs Tale is called Placebo' — Tyrwhitt. Being used in
the office for the dead, this anthem was familiar to every one ; and
'to sing Placebo' came to mean 'to be complaisant'; as in Bacon,
Essay 20. See Pers. Tale, I. 617 ; and see my notes to P. Plowman,
C. iv. 467 (B. iii. 307), B. xv. 122.
2079. This story is also from Seneca, De Ira, lib. iii. c. 21. Cf.
Herodotus, i. 189, 202 ; v. 52. In these authorities, the river is called
the Gyndes ; and in Alfred's translation of Orosius, bk. ii. c. 4, it is
the Gandes. ' Sir John Maundeville (Travels, cap. 5) tells this story
of the Euphrates.' — Wright.
{
LI. 2007-126.] THE SOMNOURS TALE. 339
2085. he, i.e. Solomon ; see Prov. xxii. 24, 25.
2090. as Iicst as is a squire, as exact (i. e. upright) as a square. He
means that he will deal out exact justice, and not condone the sick
man's anger without appointing him a penance for it. A squire is
a measuring-square, or T-square, as explained in my Dictionary ;
it is used for measuring right angles with exactitude. For the use of
the word, see Shak. L. L. L. v. 2. 474; Spenser, F. Q. ii. i. 58;
Minshew's Diet. ; Romaunt of the Rose, 7064 ; Floris and Blancheflur,
ed. Lumby, 325. Cotgrave gives: '^ A Vesquierre, justly, directly,
evenly, straightly ; by line and Icvell, to a haire.' Godefroy, s. v.
esquarre, refers us to the O. F. translation of i Kings, v, 17 ; ' e que tuz
fussent taillie a esqinre.' Lydgate has : ' By compas cast, and squared
out by squyers^ ; Siege of Troye, ed. 1555, fol. F 5, back, col. I.
2095. ' Thei [the friars] cryen faste that thei haf more power in
confessioun then other curatis ; for thei may schrj^ve alle that comen
to hem, bot curatis may no ferther then her owneparischens'; Wyclif s
Works, ed. Arnold, iii. 374. Cf. Rom. Rose, 6390-8 (vol. i. 238).
2098. So in I. 1008 : ' but-if it lyke to thee of thyn humilitee.'
2105. ' The pavements were made of encaustic tiles, and therefore
must have been rather expensive.' — Wright. See my note to Pierce
the Ploughman's Crede, 1. 194 ; and Our English Home, p. 20.
2107. 'For the sake of Him who harried hell'; see note to A.
3512; p. 107.
2116. Elie, Elias, Elijah. Eiisee, Eliseus, Elisha. There was
great strife among the four orders of friars as to the priority of their
order. The Carmelites, who took their name from mount Carmel
(see I Kings, xviii. 19, 20), actually pretended that their order was
founded by the prophet Elijah when he retired to mount Carmel to
escape the wrath of Ahab ; and by this unsurpassable fiction secured
to themselves the credit of priority to the rest. It is therefore clear
that the friar of Chaucer's story was a Carmelite, as no other friar would
have alluded to this story. See Wyclifs Works, ed. Arnold, iii. 353 ;
Pierce the Ploughman's Crede, 382.
2119. y^r scinte charitee; a common expression. It occurs in the
Tale of Gamelin, 513 ; with which Chaucer was familiar. Cf. B. 4510.
2126. your brother. This alludes to the letters of fraternity, which
friars were accustomed to grant, under the conventual seal, to such
laymen as had given them benefactions or were likely to leave them
money in their wills. The benefactors received in return a brotherly
participation in such spiritual benefits as the friars could confer.
Thus, in Jack Upland, §§ 28, 29, we find :-— ' Why be ye [friars] so
hardie to grant, by letters of fraternitie, to men and women, that they
shall haue part and merite of all your good deeds, and ye weten
neuer whether God be apayed with your deeds because of your sin ? . . .
What betokeneth that yee haue ordeined that, whan such one as ye
haue made your brother or sister, and hath a letter of your seale, that
letter mought be brought in your holy chapter, and there be rad,
340 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group d.
or els yee will not pray for him ? ' See Wyclif s Works, ed. Arnold,
"'• 377> 420; ed. Matthew, p. 4. Such lay brethren were usually
dressed for burial in a friar's habit; see Milton, P. L. iii. 479; Rock,
Church of our Fathers, i. 487. A benefactor could even thus belong to
all the orders of friars at once ; cf. P. Plowman, C. x. 343 (B. vii.
192). This gives point to the cjueslion in 1. 1955 above.
2156. His meynee, i.e. the menials of the sick man.
2159. His companion was in the nearest inn ; see 1. 1779.
2162. court, the house of the lord of the manor. 'The larger
country-houses consisted generally of an enclosed court, from which
circumstance this name was usually given to the manorial residence,
and it has been preserved to modern times, as a common term for
gentlemen's seats.'— Wright. Cf. P. Plowman, C. xxiii. 344. It was
also called & plaw ; see note to B. 1910 ; p. 184.
2164. * Of ech sich privat seete, by licence of the pope, ben maad,
some chapeleyjts of housliold, summe chapeleyns of honour,' &c. ;
WycliPs Works, ed. Arnold, iii. 511. 'Frere, what charity is this, to
be confessors of lords and ladies,' &c. ; Jack Upland, § 37. And see
Wyclif s Works, ed. Matthew, p. 333 ; P. Plowman, B. v. 136-142, xx.
341-345-
2185. viaister. The hypocrite here declines to be called 'master,'
though he had allowed the good wife to call him so twice without
reproof; see 11. iSoo, 1836 ; and cf. 1. 1781. At the same time, he
declares that he had gained the title of Master in the schools. As he
was the prior or principal of his convent (see 11. 2260, 2265, 2276) he
may have been ' capped,' or have received the degree of Master of
Divinity. ' Also capped freris, that ben calde maystres of dyvynite,
have her chaumber and servise as lordis or kynges. . . . And what
cursidenesse in this ... to gete hym a cappe of maysterdome, by
preyer of lordis and grcte giftis,' &c. ; Wyclif s ^^■orks, ed. Arnold, iii.
376. An LL.D. of Edinburgh is ' capped,' or has a doctor's cap
momentarily laid upon his head, when he receives his degree ; as
I know by experience.
See also Pierce the Ploughman's Crede, 11. 498, 574.
2187. See Matt, xxiii. 7, 8.
2196. See Matt. v. 13.
2205, ' How does it seem to me ? ' Read think' th.
2209. ' I consider him to be in a kind of frenzy '; cf. 2240, 2292.
2219. Shelve here means ' to propose ' or ' propound.'
2235. See Chaucer's own explanation of the method of propagation
of a sound, in the Hous of Fame, 782-821. He seems to have taken
it from Boethius, De Musica, i. 14 ; see vol. iii. p. 260.
2238. my cherl, i.e. my serf; as being his dependant. It probably
implies vassalage.
2244. Cf. A. 100. Although the squire was not above winning
' a new gown,' he was probably a young man of (future) equal rank
with the lord of the manor. In fact, his scornful boldness proves it.
LI. 2156-289.] THE SOMNOURS TALE. 341
2247. goujte-clofh. 'In the middle ages, the most common rewards,
and even those given by the feudal landholders to their dependants and
retainers, were articles of apparel, especially the gown or outward
robe. . . . Money was comparatively very scarce in the middle ages ;
and as the household retainers were lodged and fed, clothing was
almost the only article they wanted.' — Wright.
2259. ' The regular number of monks or friars in a convent had been
fixed at twelve, with [i.e. besides] their superior; in imitation, it is
said, of the number of twelve apostles and their divine master.
The larger religious houses were considered as consisting of a certain
number of convents. Thus Thorn, speaking of the abbot of St. Au-
gustine's at Canterbury, says: — Anno Domini m.c.xlvi, iste Hugo
reparavit antiquum numerum monachorum istius monasterii, et erant
Ix. monachi profess! praetcr abbatcm, hoc est, qiiitique conuentus in
universe. — Decern Scripiorcs, col. 1807.' — Wright. That is, this house
consisted of sixty-one members, the abbot and five convents of twelve
each. The smaller (single) convents were also called cells, and the
principal, the/rz';?;-; see A. 172, and note that, in A. 167, the Monk is
said, not to be an abbot, but to be fit to be an abbot. The expression
'■his covent,' in 1. 2261, shews that the friar confessor was the prior
or head of his cell.
2279. * Yif a frere be a viaistcr, or a riche frere in-mong hise
bretheren, he shal be loutid and worshipid more then Cristis lawe
techith,' Sec. ; Wyclif s Works, ed. Matthew, p. 306.
2281. This implies that the squire, with the rest, had heard the friar
preach in church that morning, and had been greatly bored by the
sermon.
2289. I supply the word as, which is plainly wanted. MS. HI.
supplies dies, but I believe as to be right. The way in which the
second as came to be dropped in this line, is very curious. It arose
from misunderstanding the spelling of Ptolemy.
The occurrence of an unpronounceable P at the beginning of
Ptolomcc made the scribes think something must be omitted. Hence
several of them introduced a stroke through the p, which stood as
an abbreviation for 'ro,' and this turned it into Protholomee, which
looked right, but made the second as superfluous. Thus MSS. Cp. HI.
both have 'pr^tholome,' with the mark of abbreviation; in MSS. E.
Hn. Dd. it is expanded into ' Protholomee ' at length. We again
find the scribes in the same difficulty in D. 324. A still stranger
spelling is plotoloniee, for which see vol. iii. p. 359, 1. 18. Cf. the note
on Ptolemy in the same volume, at p. 354.
NOTES TO GROUP E.
The Clerkes Prologvie.
I, clerk. See the description of him, Prol. A. 285.
3. were newe spoused, who should be (i.e. is) newly wedded ; see
Rom. de la Rose, (F. version), 1004; in vol. i. p. 136.
6. See Eccles. iii. i ; 'To every thing there is a season,' &c.
7. as be/h, pray be. The word as, nearly equivalent to ' I pray,' is
sometimes used thus with the imperative mood. Since as is short for
also, it means literally even so, just so. Cp. as keep, A. 2302 ; asseudc,
A. 2317 ; as doth, F. 458 ; ^ as beth not wroth with me,' Troil. and
Cress. V. 145 ; *aj go we seen,' i.e. pray let us go to see, id. 523 ; see
also A. 3777. See Matzner, Engl. Gram. ii. 2. 505.
10. A French proverb. * Ki en jeu entre jeu consente,' i.e. approves
of; Le Roux de Lincy, Proverbes Fran^ais, ii. 85.
18. Heigh style, lofty, learned, somewhat pedantic style ; see 1. 41.
22. yerde, control, governance ; lit. yard, rod ; so we say 'under the
rod.' Cf. B. 1287, and the note at p. 169.
27. Padowe, Padua, in the N. E. of Italy. Petrarch resided at Arqua,
two miles from Padua. He died July 18, 1374. See vol. iii. p. 454;
vol. i. p. XXV.
33. of poetrye, with his poetry. Of is similarly used in 1. 34.
34. Lillian', 'the canonist Giovanni di Lignano, once illustrious,
now forgotten, though several works of his remain. He was made
Professor of Canon Law at Bologna in 1363, and died at Bologna in
1383'; Morley's English Writers, v. 339. Tyrwhitt first pointed out
the person here alluded to, and says — ' there is some account of him in
Panzirolus, de CI. Leg. Intrepret. 1. iii. c. xxv : — Joannes, a Lignano,
agri Mediolanensis vico, oriundus, et ob id Lignanus dictus,' &c. One
of his works, entitled Tractatus de Bello, is extant in MS. Reg. 13 B.
ix [Brit. Mus.]. He composed it at Bologna in the year 1360. He
was not however a mere lawyer. Chaucer speaks of him as excelling
in philosophy, and so does his epitaph in Panzirolus. The only
specimen of his philosophy that I have met with is in MS. Harl. 1006.
It is an astrological work, entitled Conclusiones Judicii composite per
Domnum Johannem de Lyniano super coronacione Domni Urbani
THE CLERKES TALE. 343
Pape VI. A. D. 1387,' &c. Lignano is here said to be near Milan,
and to have been the lawyer's birthplace. In 1. 38, Chaucer speaks
xii his death, showing that Chaucer wrote this prologue later than
^1383.
43. proheme, proem, introduction. Petrarch's treatise (taken from
Boccaccio's Decamerone, Day x. Novel 10) is entitled ' De obedientia
ac fide uxoria Mythologia.' It is preceded by a letter to Boccaccio,
but this is not here alluded to. What Chaucer means is the first
section of the tale itself, which begins thus : — -^ Est ad Italiae latus
occiduum Vesulus, ex Apennini iugis mons unus altissimus . . . Padi
ortu nobilissimus, qui eius a latere fonte lapsus cxiguo orienteni
contra solem fertur, mirisque mox tumidus incrcmentis . . . Liguriam
gurgite uiolentus intersecat ; dehinc Aemiliam, atque Flaminiam,
Venetiamque discriminans ... in Adriaticum mare descendit.' Pe-
mond. Piedmont. Saluccs, Saluzzo, S. of Turin. Vesulus, Monte
Viso. See the description of the route from Mont Dauphin to
Saluzzo, by the Col de Viso, in Murray's Guide to Switzerland a.nd
Piedmont. Cf. Vergil, Aen. x. 708.
51. To Einelward, towards Aemilia. Tyrwhitt says— 'One of the
regions of Italy was called Aemilia, from the via Aemilia, which crossed
it from Placentia [Piacenza] to Rimini. Placentia stood upon the Po.
Pitiscus, Lex. Ant. Rom. in v. Via Aemilia. Petrarch's description
... is a little different.' See note above. Ferrare, Ferrara, on the Po,
not far from its mouth. Ve?iyse, rather the Venetian territory than
Venice itself.
54. 'It seems to me a thing irrelevant, excepting that he wishes to
impart his information.'
56. this, contraction for this is (see footnote) ; common.
The Clerkes Tale.
57. In many places this story is translated from Petrarch almost
■word for word ; and as Tyrwhitt remarks, it would be endless to cite
illustrative passages from the original Latin; see further in vol. iii.
p. 453. The first stanza is praised by Professor Lowell, in his Study
Windows, p. 208, where he says — 'What a sweep of vision is here !'
Chaucer is not quite so close a translator here as usual ; the passage
in Petrarch being — ' Inter caetera ad radicem Vesuli, terra Salu-
tiarum, uicis et castellis satis frequens, Marchionum arbitrio nobilium
quorundum regitur uirorum.'
82. leet he slyde, he allowed to pass unattended to, neglected. So
we find 'Let the world slide'; Induction to Taming of the Shrew,
I. 5; and 'The state of vertue never slides^; The Sturdy Rock (in
Percy's Reliques). See March's Student's Manual of Eng. Lang.
p. 125, where the expression is noted as still current in America.
Petrarch has — ' alia pene cuncta negligeret.' With 11. 83-140, cf.
Shakesp. Sonnets, i-xvii.
344 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group E.
^%. Jlocloneley'ms. flock or troop; Pet. has 'cateruatim.' * Treuly
theder caxatjlockcvicle the multitude of tho blessyd sowlys ':— Monk of
Evesham, ed. Arber, c. 55 ; p. 107. Palsgrave's French Diet, has—
'Flockmeale, par troupeaux'\ fol. 440, back. Cf. E. piece-meal \
we also find 7uukcmaluvi, week by week, Ormulum, 536 ; lim-mcle, limb
from limb, Layamon, 25618; hipyllmelum, by heaps, Wycl. Bible,
Wisdom xviii. 25 : Koch, Eng. Gramm. ii. 292.
99. ' Although I have no more to do with this matter than others have
who are here present.' Observe that the Marquis is addressed as
ye, not ihoti, the former being a title of respect.
103-105. These three lines are not in the original.
106. We should have expected to find here us lykethye, \. e. you are
pleasing to us ; but we really have an instance of a double dative, so
that us lyketh yow is equivalent to ' it pleases us with respect to you.'
The nominative case is ye, the dative and accusative_y<JW ox you. Y010
leste, it may please you, in 1. 11 1, is the usual idiom.
107. and ever han doofi, and (both you and your doings) have
ever brought it about. Such is the usual force of doon ; cf. 11. 253,
1098.
115. Cf. Barbour's Bruce, ed. Skeat, i. 266-8.— M.
118-119. Expanded from — ' uolant enim dies rapidi,'
121. still as stoon\ Latin text, * tacita.' Cf. F. 171.
129. we wol chese yow, we will choose for you.
147. Ther, where. This line is Chaucer's own.
157. Bouniee, %oodr\tss. j/^ww, race, stock. Petrarch has — *Quic-
quid in homine boni est, non ab alio quam a Deo est.'
168. As, ?is if. This line, in Petrarch, comes after 1. 173. Lines 174,
175 are Chaucer's own.
172. as ever, &c., as ever I may thrive, as I hope to thrive.
190-196. Expanded from — ' Et ipse nihilominus cam ipsam nup-
tiarum curam domesticis suis imposuit, edixitque diem.'
197-203. Expanded from—' Fuit haud procul a palatio uillula pau-
corum atque inopum incolarum.'
211-217. Sometimes Chaucer translates literally, and sometimes he
merely paraphrases, as here. Lines 215-217 are all his own.
220. rype and sad corage, a mature and staid disposition. Petrarch
has — * sed uirilis senilisque animus uirgineo latebat in pectore.'
223. spinning ; i. e. she spun whilst keeping the sheep ; see a picture
of St. Genevieve in Mrs. Jameson's Sacred and Legendary Art. Line
224 is Chaucer's.
227. shredde and seeth, sliced and sod (or boiled). Lat. ' domum
rediens oluscula et dapes fortunae congruas praeparabat, durumque
cubiculum stemebat,' &c.
229. on lofte, aloft. She kept up her father's life, i.e. sustained
him. His death is recorded in 1. 1134.
234. For this line the Latin has only the word transiens.
237. in sad tuyse, soberly ; Lat. ' senili grauitate.'
LI. 86-376.] THE CLERKES TALE. 345
242. Here ihe people vi\^?iX\% the common people ; Lat. ^ tiulgi ocvXxs^
In the next line he is empathic, meaning that his eyes were quicker to
perceive than theirs.
253. hath don 7)iake, hath caused to be made. Lat. ' Ipse interim
et anulos aureos et coronas et balteos conquircbat.' Chaucer inserts
asure, the colour of fidehty ; see F. 644, and note. Y or balteoshe sub-
stitutes the Enghsh phrase troches and ringes ; cf. P. Plowm. B. prol. 75.
257. Scan — By | a mayd | e 1^'k | to hfr ] stature. ||
259. Here Chaucer apparently omits a sentence, namely : —
* Uenerat expectatus dies, et cum nullus sponsae rumor audiretur,
admiratio omnium uehementer excreuerat.' But he has, in fact, given
us this above, in 11. 246-8.
260. undejJi (lit. the intervening or middle period) has two mean-
ings in the Teutonic tongues ; (i) mid-forenoon, i. e. originally 9 A. M. ;
and (2) mid-afternoon, originally 3 p.m. In this passage it is clearly
the former that is meant ; indeed in 1. 981, where it occurs again, the
original has 'proximae lucis horn iertia,' i. e. 9 A. M. In this passage, the
original has hora prandii, meaning luncheon-time, which in Chaucer's
time would often be 9 A.M. ; see note to B. 1396, at p. 171 ; and cf.
.(Clfric's Homilies, ed. Thorpe, ii. ^7. See note to Piers PI. B. vi. 147 ;
and see Undern in the Glossary.
But it may be noted here, that the sense of undern is variable.
Sometimes it meant the period from 9 to 12, or the middle of that period,
i. e. about 10.30 or 11. Sometimes, the period from 3 to 6 P. M., or the
middle of it, i.e. about 4.30 or 4. In modem E. dialects, it means
about 4 P.M. See B. 4412, D. 875.
260-294. Expanded and improved from the following short passage :
' Hora iam prandii aderat, iamque apparatu ingenti domus tota
feruebat. Tum Gualtherus, aducntanti ueluti sponsae obuiam pro-
fecturus, domo egreditur, prosequente uirorum et matronarum nobilium
caterua. Griseldis omnium quae erga se pararentur ignara, peractis
quae agenda domi erant, aquam e longinquo fonte conuectans paternum
limen intrabat : ut, expedita curis aliis, ad uisendam domini sui
sponsam cum puellis comitibus properaret.'
322. governeth, arrange, dispose of. Observe the use of the plural
imperative, as a mark of respect. When the marquis addresses
Griseldis as ye, it is a mark of extreme condescension on his part ; the
Latin text has tu and te.
337-343. Expanded from — ' insolito tanti hospitis aduentu stupidam
inuenere ; quam iis uerbis Gualtherus aggreditur.'
350. yow avyse, consider the matter ; really a delicate way of
expressing refusal. Compare the legal formula le roy s'avisera for
expressing the royal refusal to a proposed measure.
364. For to be deed, even if I were to be dead, were to die ; Lat. 'et
si me mori iusseris, quod moleste feram.'
375-376. These characteristic lines are Chaucer's own. So are
II. 382, 383.
346 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group E.
381. cofone, nuptial garland ; Lat. * corona.' See Brand's Pop. Antiq.
ed. Eilis, ii. 123.
388- snow-whyt \ Lat. 'niueo.' Perhaps Spenser took a hint from
this; F. Q. i. i. 4. In the Leg. of Good Women, 1. 1198, Chaucer
calls a hors& paper-w/iyf.
393. Repeated, slightly altered, from 1. 341.
409. thewes, mental qualities. So also in E. 1542; Cower, Conf.
Amant. lib. vii. sect, i (ed. Pauli, iii. 85) ; Spenser, F. Q. i. 9. 3 ; i. 10. 4 ;
ii. 1. 33, &c. 'The common signification of the word thews in our
old writers, is manners, or qualities of mind and disposition ... By
thews Shakespeare means unquestionably brawn, nerves, muscular
vigour (Jul. Caes. i. 3 ; 2 Hen. IV, iii. 2 ; Hamlet, i. 3). And to this
sense, and this only, the word has now settled down ; the other sense,
which was formerly so familiar in our literature, is quite gone out and
forgotten. [With respect to theawe=%va.&\v, in Layamon, 1. 6361] Sir F.
Madden remarks (iii. 471): — "This is the only instance in the poem
of the word being applied to bodily qualities, nor has any other passage
of an earlier date than the sixteenth century been found in which it is so
used." It may be conjectured that it had only been a provincial word
in this sense, till Shakespeare adopted it'; Craik's English of Shake-
speare ; note on Jul. Caesar, i. 3. 81.
412. embrace, hold fast ; ' omnium animos nexu sibi magni amoris
astrinxerat} Compare Tennyson's Lord of Burleigh with 11. 394-413.
413. Nearly identical with Troil. i. 1078-
421. royally ; alluding to the royal virtues of Griseldis.
429. Not only the context, but the Latin text, justifies the reading
homlinesse. Feet is fact, i. e. act. The Latin is — ' Neque uero solers
sponsa muliebria tantum haec domes tica, sed, ubi res posceret, publica
etiam obibat officia.' Lines 432-434 are Chaucer's own.
444. 'Although it would have been liefer to her to have borne a male
child'; i.e. she would rather, &c. The Latin has — 'quamuis filium
maluisset.'
449-462. Expanded from^' Cepit (ut fit) interim Gualtherum, cum
iam ablactataesset infantula(mirabilisquaedam qukm laudabilis, \aliter,
an mirabile quidem magis quam laudabile,] doctiores iudicent) cupiditas
satis expertam charae fidem coniugis experiendi altius \aliter, ulterius],
et iterum atque iterum retentandi.'
452. tempte, make trial of, prove; see 11. 1 152, 1153 below, sad-
nesse, constancy, equanimity.
483. Note Walter's use of the word thee here, and of thy twice in the
next stanza, instead of the usual ye. It is a slight, but significant sign
of insult, offered under pretence of reporting the opinion of others. In
1. 492 wehave_>'^«^ again.
504. thing, possession. Lat. *de rebus tuis igitur fac ut libet.'
516. a furlong wey or two, the distance of one or two fur-
longs, a short distance, a little. The Hne simply means — 'a little
after.
LI. 381-666.] THE CLERKES TALE. 347
525. stalked him ; marched himself in, as we should say. This use of
him is remarkable, but not uncommon.
533-539. Lat. * lussus sum hanc infantulam accipere, atque earn —
Hie sermone abrupto, quasi crudele ministerium silentio exprimens,
subticuit.' Compare ' Ouos ego — '; Vergil, Aen. i. 135.
540-546. Lat. ' Suspecta uiri fama ; suspecta facies; suspecta hora ;
suspecta erat oratio ; quibus etsi clare occisum iri dulcem filiam intelli-
geret, nee lachrymulam tamen ullam, nee suspirium dedit.' Mr. Wright
quotes this other\\ise, putting ^/?//f(? for dulcem, and stopping at ititelli-
geret.
547-567. Chaucer expands the Latin, and transposes some of the
matter. Lines 561-563 precede 11. 547-560 in the original, which
merely has — ' in nutrice quidem, nedum in matre durissimum ; sed
tranquilla fronte puellulam accipiens aliquantulum respexit & simul
exosculans benedixit, ac signum sanctae crucis imprcssit, porrexitque
satcUiti.'
570. After That in this line, we ought, in strict grammar, to have^tf
buric in the next line, instead of the imperative bioieth. But the phrase
is idiomatic, and as all the seven best MSS. agree in this reading, it is
best to retain it. Tyrwhitt alters That but to But if.
579. Somiuhat, in some degree. But Petrarch says differently — 'ueke-
jnenter paterna animum pietas mouit.'
582-59L Lat. ' lussit satelliti obuolutam pannis, cistae iniectam, ac
iumento impositam, quiete omni quanta posset diligentia Bononiam
deferret ad sororem suam, quae illic comiti de Panico nupta erat,' &c.
586. * But, under penalty of having his head cut off'; lit. of cutting
off his head.
589. Boloigne, Bologna, E. by S. from Modena, and a long way from
Saluzzo. Pa/iik answers to the de Panico in note to 1. 5S2 ; Boccaccio
has Panago. I observe in the map the river Panaro flowing between
Modena and Bologna ; perhaps there is some connexion between the
names. Tyrwhitt has Pavie (Pavia) in his text, but corrects it in the
notes.
602. in oon, in one and the same state : ever in oon, always alike, con-
tinually ; so also in 1. 677. Cf. Kn. Ta. 913 (A. 1771).
607. This must mean — -^ no accidental sign of any calamity.'
612. A knave child, a male child, boy; as in Barbour's Bruce,
xiii. 693 ; English Gilds, ed. T. Smith, p. 30.
615. meri'e\ three syllables ; cf. A. 1386, B. 4156. LI. 621-623 are
Chaucer's own.
625. sikly berth, hardly bear, dislike. Lat. 'populum aegre ferre,' &c.
643. Lat. * ne te inopinus et subitus dolor turbet.'
645-651. Expanded from — ' Dixi (ait) et repeto, nihil possum seu
uelle, seu nolle, nisi quae tu ; neque uero in ijs filiis quicquam habeo,
praeter laborem.'
663. plesanc'e, three syllables ; stabP^ one syllable.
666. 'The pain of death is not to be compared to the pleasure of your
348 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group e.
love.' Lat. 'nee mors ipsa nostro fuerit par amori.' Cf. 11. S17,
1091.
687. ever lenger, &c., i. e. ever the longer (he thinks of it) the more
he wonders. In the more, the word the is for A. S. \y.
700. And he \ cf. And ye,\. 105.
701-707. Expanded.from — *sed sunt qui, ubi semel inceperint, non
desinant ; immo incumbant, haereantque proposito.'
704. a stake ; cf. Macb. v. 7. I ; Jul. Caesar, iv. i. 48.
714. ;;wr^ ^iVZ/W^, more painstaking ; Lat. 'obsequentior.'
719. ' She made it clear that no wife should of herself, on account of
any worldly anxiety, have any will, in practice, different from that of
her husband.'
722. sclaiindre, ill fame, ill report concerning Walter. See 1. 730.
738. message, a messenger ; Lat. ' nuncios Romam misit.' So in Old
English we ivn^ prisoun ox prison for prisoner ; Piers PI. B. vii. 30.
772. ajion, immediately. It was not uncommon in olden times for
girls to be married at twelve years of age. The Wife of Bath was first
married at that age ; see D. 4.
797. Lat. * magna omnis fortuna seruitus magna est ; non mihi licet,
quod cuilibet liceret agricolae.'
850. were agrees with the word clothes following ; cf. it ben, Piers
Plowm. B. vi. 56. She did not really bring her husband even the dower
of her old clothes, as they had been taken from her. Lines 85 1-86 1 are
all Chaucer's own, and shew his delicacy of touch.
866. Lat, 'neque omnino alia mihi dos fuit, quam fides et nuditas.'
871. Probably suggested by Job, i. 21. So 1. 902 is from Job, iii. 3.
880-882. These lines are Chaucer's own ; 1. 880 is characteristic of
him. The phrase in 1. 880 seems to have been proverbial. Cf. ' I walke
as werme, withoute wede'; Coventry Mysteries, p. 28. But Chaucer
got it from Le Roman de la Rose, 445 ; see his translation, 1. 454 ;
vol. i. p. 112.
888-889. The latter part of 1. 888, and 1. 889, are Chaucer's own.
903. lyves, alive ; a iyves creature, a creature alive, a living being.
Lyves is an adverb, formed like nedes, from the genitive case of the sub-
stantive. There are other instances of its use.
*Yif I late him lities go^; Havelok, 509.
i. e. if I let him go away alive. And again lyues=2Xiv&, in Piers PI.
B. xix. 154. Nearly repeated from Troil. iv. 251-2.
910. After this line, Chaucer has omitted the circumstance of Jani-
cola's preserving his daughter's old clothing; 'tunicam eius his-
pidam, et attritam senio, abditam paruae domus in parte seruauerat.'
See 1. 913.
911. Agayns, towards, so as to meet. To go agayns, in M. E., is to
go to meet. So also to come agayns, to ride agayns (or agayn). See
Agayn in Glossary to Spec, of Eng. (Morris and Skeat); and Barbour's
Bruce, xiv. 420. LI. 915-917 are Chaucer's own.
fc'
LI. 687-999.] THE CLERKES TALE. 349
916. ' For the cloth was poor, and many days older now than on the
day of her marriage.'
932. * Men speak of Job, and particularly of his humility.' Cf.
Job, xl. 4, xlii. 1-6.
934. iV^iJ/;/^/)/ ^y ;«!?«, especially of wi?«, where ;«<?« is emphatic. The
whole of this stanza (932-938) is Chaucer's.
938. but, except, unless j falle^ fallen, happened ; of-ncwe^ newly, an
adverbial expression. It means then, ' unless it has happened very
lately.' In other words, ' If there is an example of a man surpassing
a woman in humility, it must have happened very lately ; for I have
never heard of it.'
939. Pars Scxta. This indication of a new part comes in a fitting
place, and is taken from Tyrwhitt, who may have found it in a MS.
But there is no break here in the Latin original, nor in any of the
MSS. of Chaucer which I have consulted, erl of Panik ; Lat. 'Panicius
comes.'
940. more and Icsse, greater or smaller ; i. e. everybody. So also in
the Frank. Tale, 'riveres >nore and lesse'\ F. 1054. So also nioche
a?td lyte, great and small, Prol. 494 ; mostcand iesie, greatest and least,
A. 2198. Spenser has, F. O. vi. 6. 12, —
' 'Gainst all, both bad and good, both most and least.'
94L alle and some, i.e. all and one, one and all. See Morris's Eng.
Accidence, sect. 218, p. 142.
960. wominen ; some MSS. have womman, as in Tyrwhitt. But MS.
E. is right. Petrarch uses the word /oeni/nas, not foeminam.
965. yvel biseye, ill provided ; lit. ill beseen. The word/7v/ is pro-
nounced here almost as a monosyllable (as it were J7''/), as is so com-
monly the case with ever ; indeed generally, words ending with el and
er are often thus clipped. A remarkable instance occurs in the i^Iilleres
Tale (A. 3715), where we not only have a similar ending, but the word
ever in the same line —
'That trewc love was ever so yvel biset.'
See also yvel apayed in line 1052 below. The converse \.o yvel biseye, is
richely biseye, richly provided or adorned, in 1. 984 below.
981. Lat. ' Proximae lucis hora tertia comes superuenerat '; see note
to 1. 260.
995-1008. These two stanzas are Chaucer's own, and are so good
that they must have been a later addition ; Prof. Ten Brink suggests the
date 1387 (Eng. Lit.ii. 123, Eng. version). In MS. E. the word Auctor
is inserted in the margin, and 1. 995 begins with a large capital letter.
At the beginning of 1. 1009 is a paragraph-mark, shewing where the
translation begins again, tinsad, unsettled. Cf. Shakesp. Cor. i. i.
186, Jul. Caesar, i. i. 55 ; Scott, Lady of the Lake, v. 30.
999. ' Ever full of tittle-tattle, which would be dear enough at a half-
penny.' See n. to 1. 1200. lane, a small coin of Genoa (Janua) ; see
Rime of SirThopas, B. 1925. The first stanza (995-1001) is supposed
350 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group e.
to be uttered by the sober and discreet part of the population;
see 1. 1002.
1031. lykeih thee, pleases thee. The marquis addresses her as thou,
because all suppose her to be a menial.
1039. mo, lit. more ; but also used in the sense of others, or, as here,
another. The modern phrase would be, ' as you did somebody else'
The extreme delicacy of the hint is admirable. This use of mo is
common in Chaucer ; see the Glossary. So also, in Specimens of
English, ed. Morris and Skeat, we have, at p. 47, 1. 51 —
* Y sike for vnsete ;
Ant mourne ase men do)) mo'',
i. e. I sigh for unrest, and mourn as other men do. And on the next
page, p. 48, 1. 22, we have
* Mody mene)> so do)> mo,
Ichot ycham on of );o';
i.e. 'The moody moan as others do ; I wot I am one of them.' In
1. 240 of How the Good Wife taught her Daughter, pr. with Barbour's
Bruce, ed. Skeat, we find — 'And slanderit folk vald euir haue ma^ i. e.
would ever have others like themselves. Somewhat similar is the
expression oper mo, where we should now say others as well ; Piers
Plowman, C. v. lo, xxii. 54. A somewhat similar use of 7no occurs in
Tudor English. ' It fortuned Diogenes to . . make one among the moo
at a dyner.' — Udall, tr. of Erasmus' Apophthegmes (1564), bk. i. § 91.
So also : — 'that he also, emong the }no [i. e. the rest] might haue his
pleasure'; id. bk. ii. § 13. Tyrwhitt's suggestion that Chaucer has
licentiously turned 7ne into 7no for the mere sake of getting a rime, in
which he has hitherto been followed by nearly every editor, is only to be
repudiated. It may well have been with the very purpose of guarding
against this error that, in the Ellesmere and Hengwrt MSS., the
original Latin text is here quoted in the margin — ' unum bona fide te
precor ac moneo : ne banc illis aculeis agites, quibus alteram agitasti.'
Chaucer, who throughout surpasses his original in delicacy of treatment,
did not permit himself to be outdone here ; and Boccaccio also has the
word ultra. The use of me would have been a direct charge of un-
kindness, spoiling the whole story. See 1. 1045 and 1. 449.
1049. gan his herte dresse, addressed his heart, i.e. prepared it,
schooled it. The M. E. dresse is our modern direct ; both being from
Lat. dirigere.
1053. Here we may once more note the use of the word thy, the
more so as it is used with a quite different tone. We sometimes find
it used, as here, between equals, as a term of endearmejit ; it is,
accordingly, very significant. See 1. 1056.
1066. that other, the other, the boy.
1071. no7i, any, either. The use of it is due to the preceding 7iat.
1079. Professor Morley, in his English Writers, v. 342, aptly
remarks here — 'And when Chaucer has told all, and dwelt with an
L1.I03I-I88.] THE CLERKES TALE. 351
exquisite pathos of natural emotion all his own upon the patient
mother's piteous and tender kissing of her recovered children — for there
is nothing in Boccaccio, and but half a sentence in Petrarch, answering
to these four beautiful stanzas (1079-1106) — he rounds all, as Petrarch
had done, with simple sense, which gives religious meaning to the tale,
then closes with a lighter strain of satire which protects Griselda
herself from the mocker.'
1098. ' Hath caused you (to be) kept.' For the same idiom, see Kn.
Tale, A. 1913 ; Man of Law's Tale, B. 171, and the note. Cf. 'Wher
I have beforn ordeyned and do mad [caused to be made] my tombe.'
Royal Wills, ed. Nichols, p. 278.
1133. His wyves fader, i.e. Janicola. This circumstance should
have been mentioned before I. 11 28, as in the original.
1140. For <7/(Ellesmere MS.) the other MSS. read in.
1141. atictour, author, i.e. Petrarch, whom Chaucer follows down to
1. 1 162. LI. 1138-1141 are Chaucer's own, and maybe compared with
his poem on the Golden Age (vol. i. 380).
1144. importable, intolerable ; Lat. — ' huius uxoris patientiam, quae
mihi uix imitabilis uidetur.' Of course 11. 1 147-8 are Chaucer's.
1151. 'Receive all with submission.' Fr. en grJ, gratefully, in good
part, settt, sendeth ; present tense, as in Piers Plowman, C. xxii. 434.
The past tense is sejtte, which would not rime.
1152. 'For it is very reasonable that He should prove (or test) that
which He created.'
1153. boghte, (hath) redeemed. See St. James, i. 13.
1162. Here Petrarch ends his narrative, and here, beyond all doubt,
Chaucer's translation originally ended also. From this point to the end
is the work of a later period, and in his best manner, though unsuited
to the coy Clerk. He easily links on his addition by the simple
expression lorditiges, herknetJi ; and in 1. 1 1 70, he alludes to the Wife
of Bath, of whom probably he had never thought when first translating
the story.
We can thus understand the stanza in the footnote, on p. 424. It is
genuine, but was rejected at the time of adding 11. 1163-1212. It was
afterwards expanded into The Monkes Prologue, with the substitution
of the patient Prudence for the patient Griselda ; see B. 3083-6.
1177. Here the metre changes ; the stanzas are of six lines ; and all
six stanzas are linked together. There are but three rimes throughout ;
-ence in the first and third lines of every stanza, -aille in the second,
fourth, and sixth, (requiring eighteen rimes in all), and -inde in the fifth
line. It is a fine example even from a metrical point of view alone.
1188. Chichei'ache, for chiche vache, i. e. lean cow. The allusion is to
an old fable, of French origin, which describes a monstrous cow named
Chiche Vache as feeding entirely upon patient wives, and being very
lean in consequence of the scarcity of her diet. A later form of the
fable adds a second beast, named Bicorne (two-horned), who, by
adopting the wiser course of feeding upon patient husbands, was
352 NOTES TO THE CANTERBURY TALES. [Group E.
always fat and in good case, Mr. Wright says — ' M. Achille Jubinal,
in the notes to his Mysteres inedits cite xv Steele, torn. i. p. 390, has
printed a French poetical description of Chichevache from a MS. of the
fourteenth century. In the French miracle of St. Genevieve, of the
fifteenth century (Jubinal, ib. p. 281), a man says satirically to the saint,
"Gardez vous de la chicheface.
El vous mordra s'el vous encontre,
Vous n'amendez point sa besoigne." *
A poem by Lydgate on Bycorne and Chichevache is printed in Mr.
Halliweh's Minor Poems of Dan John Lydgate, p. 129 (Percy Society) ;
see Morley's English Writers, vi. 107, and his Shorter English Poems,
p. 55. In his Etude sur G. Chaucer, p. 221, ]\L Sandras refers us, for
information about Chicheface^ lit. ' thin face ' or ' ugly face ' (of which
Chiche vache was a perversion), to the Histoire Litteraire de France,
vol. xxiii. Dr. Murray refers us to Montaiglon, Pohie franq. 15*^/
16* siecles (1855), ii. 191. The passage in Chaucer means, 'Beware of
being too patient, lest Chichevache swallow you down.*
1189. Foliveth Ekko, imitate Echo, who always replies.
1196. The fonns chamail, kamail, a camel, occur in the A.F.
Romance of King Horn, ed. Brede and Stengel, 1. 4177. For the M.E.
camayl, see Rich. Cuer de Lion, 2323 ; Cursor Mundi, 3304 (Trin. MS.).
1200. ' Always talk (or rattle) on, like a mill ' (that is always going
round and making a noise). ' Janglinge is whan men speken to muche
biforn folk, and clappen as a viille, and taken no kepe what they seye * ;
Ch. Persones Tale, De Superbia (L 406). Palsgrave's French Diet,
has — ' I clappe, I make a noyse as the clapper of a mill, le clacque*
' Thou art as fulle of clappe, as is a mille.'
Hoccleve, de Regimine Principum, ed. Wright, p. 7.
Cf. *As fast as millwheels strike'; Tempest, i. 2. 281.
1204. aventaille, the lower half of the moveable part of a helmet
which admitted air ; called by Spenser the venfail, F. Q. iv. 6. 19 ; v. 8.
12 ; and by Shakespeare ihtbeaver, Hamlet, i. 2. 230. It is explained,
in Douce's Illustrations of Shakespeare, that the moveable part of the
helmet in front was made in two parts, which turned on hinges at the
sides of the head. The upper part is the visor, to admit of vision, the
lower the vefitail, to admit of breathing. Both parts could be removed
from the face, but only by lifting them upwards, and throwing them
back. If the visor zXon^ were lifted, only the upper part of the face was
exposed ; but if the ventail were lifted, the visor also w 
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